Flavia C Zacconi

• Professor (Associate) at Pontifical Catholic University of Chile

This study aimed to characterize the metabolomic profile of monofloral honey from Eucryphia cordifolia (ulmo) and evaluate the potential transfer of bioactive compounds from the plant parts, including the leaves and flowers, to the honey. Using UHPLC/Q-TOF-MS analysis, various flavonoids and phenolic acids were identified and quantified in extracts...

Niemann-Pick disease (NP) is a group of rare genetic disorders that affect normal lipid metabolism and cause an accumulation of lipids in the liver, spleen, brain, and bone marrow. NP patients develop brain alterations and a very fast progression of liver damage. The purpose of this study is to characterize the changes in liver lipid composition du...

Introduction: Alzheimer's disease (AD) stands as significant challenge in realm of neurodegenerative disorder. It is characterized by gradual decline in cognitive function and memory loss. It has already expanded its prevalence to 55 million people worldwide and is expected to rise significantly. Unfortunately, there exists a limited therapeutic o...

In the intricate realm of respiratory health, allergic airways diseases stand as a significant challenge, affecting millions globally with conditions such as asthma and allergic rhinitis, and pose substantial challenges to individuals and healthcare systems worldwide. In the intricate tapestry of human health, the respiratory system stands as a sen...

In this article, we present a comprehensive computational investigation into the reaction mechanism of N-arylation of substituted aryl halides through Ullmann-type coupling reactions. Our computational findings, obtained through DFT ωB97X-D/6-311G(d,p) and ωB97X-D/LanL2DZ calculations, reveal a direct relation between the previously reported experi...

The primary cause of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) is elevated levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) plays a crucial role in this process by binding to the LDL receptor (LDL-R) domain, leading to reduced influx of LDL-C and decreased LDL-R cell surface presentat...

Esta investigación se centra en el análisis de la información reportada por el Banco de Datos de Proteínas RCSB (RCSB PDB) para la diana molecular del Factor Xa (FXa), una enzima clave en la cascada de la coagulación humana. Este proceso biocatálisis llamado cascada comprende trece factores, proteínas y cofactores activados consecutivamente en reac...

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential of zerumbone-loaded liquid crystalline nanoparticles (ZER-LCNs) in the protection of broncho-epithelial cells and alveolar macrophages against oxidative stress, inflammation and senescence induced by cigarette smoke extract in vitro. The effect of the treatment of ZER-LCNs on in vitro cell mod...

Lung cancer is the second most prevalent type of cancer and is responsible for the highest number of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) makes up the majority of lung cancer cases. Zerumbone (ZER) is natural compound commonly found in the roots of Zingiber zerumbet which has recently demonstrated anti-cancer activity...

Direct FXa inhibitors are an important class of bioactive molecules (rivaroxaban, apixaban, edoxaban, and betrixaban) applied for thromboprophylaxis in diverse cardiovascular pathologies. The interaction of active compounds with human serum albumin (HSA), the most abundant protein in blood plasma, is a key research area and provides crucial informa...

Skin has a preventive role against any damage raised by harmful microorganisms and physical and chemical assaults from the external environment that could affect the body’s internal organs. Dermis represents the main section of the skin, and its contribution to skin physiology is critical due to its diverse cellularity, vasculature, and release of...

Therapeutic effect of phytochemicals has been emphasized in the traditional medicine owing to the presence of bioactive molecules, such as polyphenols. Luteolin is a flavone belonging to the flavonoid class of polyphenolic phytochemicals with healing effect on hypertension, inflammatory disorders, and cancer due to its action as pro-oxidants and an...

COVID-19 remains a life-threatening infectious disease worldwide. Several bio-active agents have been tested and evaluated in an effort to contain this disease. Unfortunately, none of the therapies have been successful, owing to their safety concerns and the presence of various adverse effects. Various countries have developed vaccines as a prevent...

Indigoids are natural pigments obtained from plants by ancient cultures. Romans used them mainly as dyes, whereas Asian cultures applied these compounds as treatment agents for several diseases. In the modern era, the chemical industry has made it possible to identify and develop synthetic routes to obtain them from petroleum derivatives. However,...

The phytochemical study of the leaves of Eucryphia cordifolia (Cunoniaceae) allowed for the isolation of six compounds: the triterpenes betulin (1) and 28-acetoxy betulin (3), the steroid β-sitosterol (2), the flavonol quercetrin (4), the flavanonol astilbine (5) and the flavanol catechin (6). The structures of the isolated compounds were clearly a...

Synbiotics, are a combination of probiotics and prebiotics. They play an important role in metabolizing different nutritional substrates and thus helps in the maintenance of human health. Any disbalance in the gut microflora, known as dysbiosis, is known to lead to a number of diseased conditions. It can be reverted by the administration of synbiot...

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is one of the chronic complications of diabetes. It includes retinal blood vessels' damage. If untreated, it leads to loss of vision. The existing treatment strategies for DR are expensive, invasive, and need expertise during administration. Hence, there is a need to develop a non-invasive topical formulation that can pene...

Ligand-based targeting of the receptors that are overexpressed explicitly on cancer cells represents an effective drug delivery approach to enhance the chemotherapeutic efficacy. Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) which is a serine protease enzyme primarily produced by the liver cells, can potentially be used as a targeting ligan...

Mucus gel constitutes of heavily cross-linked mucin fibers forming a viscoelastic, dense porous network that coats all the exposed epithelia not covered with the skin. The layer provides protection to the underlying gastrointestinal, respiratory, and female reproductive tracts, in addition to the organs such as the surface of eye by trapping the pa...

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a degenerative neurological disease characterized by gradual loss of cognitive skills and memory. The exact pathogenesis involved still remains unrevealed, but several studies indicate the involvement of an array of different enzymes, underlining the multifactorial character of the disease. Inhibition of these enzymes is...

Introduction: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is the most common metabolic disease and multifactorial, harming patients worldwide. Extensive research has been carried out in the search for novel drug delivery systems offering reliable control of glucose levels for diabetics, aiming at efficient management of DM. Areas covered: Polymeric micelles (PMs) as...

Anatomical complications of the craniofacial regions often present considerable challenges to the surgical repair or replacement of the damaged tissues. Surgical repair has its own set of limitations, including scarcity of the donor tissues, immune rejection, use of immune suppressors followed by the surgery, and restriction in restoring the natura...

In this study, we analyzed the liver fatty acids results obtained by magnetic resonance spectroscopy and gas chromatography in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) mice with principal component analysis (PCA) and a clustering method. The study was made with two different mouse models (CDAA and Western diet), and a control group. Our results, a...

Chronic respiratory disorders claim enormous morbidity and mortality rates worldwide in persons of all age groups. The contagion pertaining to respiratory diseases arises mainly from vulnerabilities including air pollution, occupational risks, tobacco smoking, microbial infection, and allergens. The deliberated efforts in developing therapeutics fo...

Respiratory diseases, both acute or chronic and infectious or non-infectious, affect millions of people worldwide. The leading causes of morbidity and mortality due to respiratory diseases like asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, interstitial lung diseases, cystic fibrosis (CF), respiratory infections and lung cancers impose enormous so...

Computational approaches to study of neuronal impairment is rapidly evolving, as experiments and intuition alone do not explain the complexity of the brain system. An overwhelming increase in the amount of new data from both theory and computational modeling necessitate the development of databases and tools for analysis, visualization and interpre...

Blood transfusion is the key to life in case of traumatic emergencies, surgeries and in several pathological conditions. An important goal of whole blood or red blood cell transfusion is the fast delivery of oxygen to vital organs and restoration of circulation volume. Whole blood or red blood cell transfusion has several limitations. Free haemoglo...

Protein kinases modulate the structure and function of proteins by adding phosphate groups to threonine, tyrosine, and serine residues. The phosphorylation process mediated by the kinases regulates several physiological processes, while their overexpression results in the development of chronic diseases, including cancer. Targeting of receptor tyro...

The fields of click chemistry and biocatalysis have rapidly grown over the last two decades. The development of robust and active biocatalysts and the widespread use of straightforward click reactions led to significant interactions between these two fields. Therefore the name bio-click chemistry seems to be an accurate definition of chemoenzymatic...

Green chemistry implementation has led to promising results in waste reduction in the pharmaceutical industry. However, the early sustainable development of pharmaceutically active compounds and ingredients remains a considerable challenge. Herein, we wish to report a green synthesis of new pharmaceutically active peptide triazoles as potent factor...

Liquid self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery system (L-SNEDDS) of curcumin and quercetin were prepared by dissolving them in isotropic mixture of Labrafil M1944CS®, Capmul MCM®, Tween-80® and Transcutol P®. The prepared L-SNEDDS were solidified using Ganoderma lucidum extract, probiotics and Aerosil-200® using spray drying. These were further converte...

The challenges and difficulties associated with conventional drug delivery systems have led to the emergence of novel, advanced targeted drug delivery systems. Therapeutic drug delivery of proteins and peptides to the lungs is complicated owing to the large size and polar characteristics of the latter. Nevertheless, the pulmonary route has attracte...

With an estimated failure rate of about 90%, immunotherapies that are intended for the treatment of solid tumors have caused an anomalous rise in the mortality rate over the past decades. It is apparent that resistance towards such therapies primarily occurs due to elevated levels of HIF-1 (Hypoxia-induced factor) in tumor cells, which are caused b...

The role of mushroom polysaccharides and probiotics as pharmaceutical excipients for development of nanocarriers has never been explored. In the present study an attempt has been made to explore Ganoderma lucidum extract powder (GLEP) containing polysaccharides and probiotics to convert liquid self nanoemulsifying drug delivery system (SNEDDS) into...

Eucryphia cordifolia is a native and dominant species from the Temperate Forest in the southern region of Chile. It is a crucial melliferous species producing unifloral honey with outstanding antibacterial properties with great commercial value at international markets. A phytochemical screening was developed by colorimetric and gravimetric methods...

Inflammation is the natural defense mechanism within the human body to combat and eliminate hazardous stimuli, such as irritants, pathogens and damaged cells. Although inflammation can be beneficial in the resolution of injury, chronic inflammation is a concern, as chronically inflamed tissues often amplify the inflammatory response by recruiting i...

Copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) supported on ZnO are highly active and selective heterogeneous catalyst for the N‐arylation of cyclic and acyclic amides (Golberg coupling). The reaction conditions are mild, featuring K3PO4 as a base and N,N’‐dimethylethylendiamine (DMEDA) as ligand in refluxing acetonitrile. The CuNPs/ZnO catalyst can be recovered and...

Introduction and Objectives Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) encompasses a spectrum of liver abnormalities including steatosis, steatohepatitis, fibrosis, and cirrhosis. Liver biopsy remains the gold standard method to determine the disease stage in NAFLD but is an invasive and risky procedure. Studies have previously reported that changes...

Honey is a natural product with a sweet flavor. Honey is made by the honeybee (Apis mellifera L.) from the nectar of flowers or other plant secretions that are collected near the hive. These products are mixed with bee saliva and stored. Several studies have demonstrated that honey exhibits antioxidant, antimicrobial, nematicidal, antifungal, antic...

Aim: In the present study, the inhibitory potential of rutin-loaded liquid crystalline nanoparticles (LCNs) on oxidative stress was determined in human bronchial epithelial cells (BEAS-2B) by analysing the expression levels of different antioxidant (NADPH quinine oxidoreductase-1 ( NQO1); γ-glutamyl cysteine synthetase catalytic subunit ( GCLC)) an...

Hypoxia is an integral part of tumor microenvironment, caused primarily due to rapidly multiplying tumor cells and a lack of proper blood supply. Among the major hypoxic pathways, HIF-1 transcription factor activation is one of the widely investigated pathways in the hypoxic tumor microenvironment (TME). HIF-1 is known to activate several adaptive...

Eosinophils are bi-lobed, multi-functional innate immune cells with diverse cell surface receptors that regulate local immune and inflammatory responses. Several inflammatory and infectious diseases are triggered with their build up in the blood and tissues. The mobilization of eosinophils into the lungs is regulated by a cascade of processes guide...

Lignin‐based aromatics are attractive raw materials to derive medium‐chain length poly(3‐hydroxyalkanoates) (mcl‐PHAs), biodegradable polymers of commercial value. So far, this conversion has exclusively used the ortho‐cleavage route of Pseudomonas putida KT2440, which results in the secretion of toxic intermediates and limited performance. Pseudom...

Book of abstracts -> DOI: 10.1007/s10334-020-00876-y

Book of abstracts --> DOI: 10.1007/s10334-020-00876-y

Azole frameworks serve as privileged scaffolds in the contemporary drug design paradigm owing to their unique physicochemical profile that promotes the development of highly selective, physiological benevolent chemotherapeutics. Several azole nuclei function as bioisostere in medicinal chemistry and prompt the development of tailored therapeutics f...

The coagulation cascade is a dynamic physiological process that comprises a sequence of activation reactions for the formation of the blood cloth. This chain of reactions involves the interaction of numerous blood components known as coagulation factors, whose deregulation could generate hemorrhagic or thromboembolic events, such as venous thromboe...

Majority of the representative drugs customarily interact with multiple targets manifesting unintended side effects. In addition, drug resistance and over expression of the cellular efflux‐pumps render certain classes of drugs ineffective. With only a few innovative formulations in development, it is necessary to identify pharmacophores and novel s...

Potential FXa inhibitors were developed by a rational design in the first instance, focusing on a key pharmacophore, present in gold standard drugs Rivaroxaban and Apixaban. The phenyl lactam scaffold filling one of the subsites in the catalytic site, S4 pocket, with significant aromatic π-π stacking interactions, allows this frame to be invariably...

The coagulation cascade is the process of the conversion of soluble fibrinogen to insoluble fibrin that terminates in production of a clot. Factor Xa (FXa) is a serine protease involved in the blood coagulation cascade. Moreover, FXa plays a vital role in the enzymatic sequence which ends with the thrombus production. Thrombosis is a common causal...

Two solid derivatives of vitamin K3 or menadione, 2-((4-chlorobenzyl)amino)-3-methylnaphthalene-1,4-dione and 2-((4-chlorophenethyl)amino)-3-methylnaphthalene-1,4-dione, were synthesized and chemically characterized with a purity of 98 % mol∙mol⁻¹. The solubility (molar fraction) of each derivative in high-pressure carbon dioxide was measured using...

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common liver disease in the world and it is becoming one of the most frequent cause of liver transplantation. Unfortunately, the only available method that can reliably determine the stage of this disease is liver biopsy, however, it is invasive and risky for patients. The purpose of this study...

La N-arilación de amidas catalizada por metales de transición es uno de los métodos más convenientes para la preparación de N-aril amidas, las cuales tienen un rol significativo en moléculas de interés farmacológico. En los últimos años, gran parte de nuestro trabajo se ha orientado en la preparación de nanopartículas metálicas y su aplicación en l...

El Alzheimer es un trastorno neurodegenerativo crónico, que se caracteriza clínicamente por deterioro en la memoria, cognición compleja, lenguaje, emoción y comportamiento. Los inhibidores de colinesterasa, donepezilo, tacrina y galantamina son los fármacos aprobados para el tratamiento sintomático de esta enfermedad. Por otro lado, los 1,2,3-triaz...

El uso de nanopartículas poliméricas como sistemas de liberación de fármacos ha permitido mejorar en forma significativa las propiedades farmacológicas de numerosos agentes bioactivos. Estudios previos de nuestro grupo, centrados en la síntesis de nuevos derivados de piperazina con efecto anticoagulante que presentan estructura similar al fármaco R...

Book of Abstracts --> DOI:10.1007/s10334-019-00756-0

Book of abstracts --> DOI: 10.1007/s10334-019-00753-3

The haemostasis process involves the body response to blood vessel injury and bleeding. It includes a coordinated effort between blood vessels, platelets, blood proteins, inhibitors, and the fibrinolytic system. A deficiency or oversupply of any of these components may lead to either bleeding or thrombosis. Under normal conditions, the components a...

Factor Xa (FXa) plays a key role in haemostasis, due to it is a central part of the blood coagulation cascade which catalyzes the production of thrombin and leads to clot formation and wound closure. Clotting is a sequential process that involves the interaction of coagulation factors [1-2]. Inhibition of FXa should prevent the production of new th...

Coagulation is a dynamic process, and the understanding of the blood coagulation system has evolved over recent years. Clotting is a sequential process that involves the interaction of numerous blood components called coagulation factors. Since the discovery of heparin in 1914, the use of anticoagulants has dramatically advanced the prevention and...

Background: A simple and inexpensive method is required to assess fatty infiltration of the liver non-invasively. Aim: To develop and compare different methods to quantify liver fat by magnetic resonance and compare it against ultrasound. Material and methods: Three algorithms were implemented: region growing (RG), graph cuts (GC) and hierarch...

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is character- ized by the accumulation of intracellular fatty acids in the liver. The only method to confirm the stage of this disease is the biopsy, but it is invasive and risky to patients. The idea of defining a classifier using magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) emerges due to the need to find a way t...

Extreme environments are a unique source of microorganisms encoding metabolic capacities that remain largely unexplored. In this work, we isolated two Antarctic bacterial strains able to produce poly(3-hydroxyalkanoates) (PHAs), which were classified after 16S rRNA analysis as Pseudomonas sp. MPC5 and MPC6. The MPC6 strain presented nearly the same...

Carbon arylations are very important in the pharmaceutical industry, and new synthesis routes are studied with the goal of insert new bonds and substituents into an organic framework, and for this purpose Ullman reactions have been very useful. In this sense, we have theoretically studied at WV97XD/6-311g** set of Ullman-like reactions among substi...

Tissue regeneration is witnessing a significant surge in advanced medicine. It requires the interaction of scaffolds with different cell types for efficient tissue formation post-implantation. The presence of tissue subtypes in more complex organs demands the co-existence of different biomaterials showing different hydrolysis rate for specialized c...

Background: Several clinical trials, as well as observational statistics, have exhibited that the advantages of antiretroviral [ARV] treatment for humans with Human Immunodeficiency Virus / Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome HIV/AIDS exceed their risks. Therapeutic drug monitoring [TDM] plays a key role in optimization of ARV therapy. Determinatio...

Three-dimensional (3D) printing, also known as additive manufacturing, was developed originally for engineering applications. Since its early advancements, there has been a relentless development in enthusiasm for this innovation in biomedical research. It allows for the fabrication of structures with both complex geometries and heterogeneous mater...

El Alzheimer es un trastorno neurodegenerativo crónico, que se caracteriza clínicamente por deterioro en la memoria, cognición compleja, lenguaje, emoción y comportamiento. Los inhibidores de colinesterasa, donepezilo, tacrina y galantamina son los fármacos aprobados para el tratamiento sintomático de esta enfermedad. Estas drogas tienen en común l...

La Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS) informó que las enfermedades trombóticas incrementaron sus casos hasta en un 25% en los últimos años. Las enfermedades relevantes relacionadas con la trombosis incluyen el síndrome coronario agudo (SCA), el tromboembolismo venoso (TEV), la trombosis venosa profunda (TVP); todos causados por la formación de...

Factor Xa (FXa) plays a key role in haemostasis, it is a central part of the blood coagulation cascade which catalyzes the production of thrombin and leads to clot formation and wound closure. Clotting is a sequential process that involves the interaction of coagulation factors. Therefore, FXa is a focus target for the development of anticoagulants...

Factor Xa (FXa) plays a key role in haemostasis, it is a central part of the blood coagulation cascade which catalyzes the production of thrombin and leads to clot formation and wound closure. Therefore, FXa is an attractive target for the development of new anticoagulant agents. In this review, we will first describe the molecular features of this...

El Factor Xa (FXa), es una serinproteasa del tipo tripsina dependiente de la vitamina K, sintetizado en el hígado como un zimógeno. El sitio activo del FXa esta constituido por la tríada catalítica que involucra a los aminoácidos Ser195, His57 y Asp102, escindiendo catalíticamente a su sustrato natural, transformando la Protrombina a Trombina. Ade...

Herein, we describe an efficient convergent synthesis of vitamin D3 metabolites and analogs. The synthetic strategy relies on a tandem Pd-catalyzed A-ring closure and Suzuki-Miyaura coupling to the CD-side chain component to set directly the vitamin D triene system under protic conditions. This strategy enables a rapid access to vitamin D3 and 3-ep...

El Factor Xa (FXa), es una serinproteasa del tipo tripsina dependiente de la vitamina K, sintetizado en el hígado como un zimógeno. El sitio activo del FXa esta constituido por la tríada catalítica que involucra a los aminoácidos Ser 195 , His 57 y Asp 102 , escindiendo catalíticamente a su sustrato natural, transformando la Protrombina a Trombina....

Microbial polymers and nanomaterials production is a promising alternative for sustainable bioeconomics. To this end, we used Pseudomonas putida KT2440 as a cell factory in batch cultures to coproduce two important nanotechnology materials- medium-chain-length (MCL)-polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) and CdS fluorescent nanoparticles (i.e. quantum dots [...

Book of abstracts --> DOI: 10.1007/s10334-017-0633-0

Book of abstracts --> DOI: 10.1007/s10334-017-0635-y

Factor Xa (FXa), a vitamin K-dependent serine protease plays a pivotal role in the coagulation cascade, one of the most interesting targets for the development of new anticoagulants. In the present work, we performed a virtual screening campaign based on ligand-based shape and electrostatic similarity search and protein-ligand docking to discover n...

Coagulation is a dynamic process, and the understanding of the blood coagulation system has evolved over the recent years. Clotting is a sequential process that involves the interaction of numerous blood components called coagulation factors. These factors participate in two closely related clotting mechanisms that lead to the formation of the clot...

A series of six-membered lactam derivatives containing C, O and S atoms in position 4 were synthesized using microwave methodology through coupling reactions. The novel compounds were synthesized following two step reaction to yield fifteen derivatives. The final derivative N-(4-(3-oxotiomorpholin)phenyl) hexanamide was selectively toxic to the HCT...

Satellite cells are a small cell population that function as muscle-specific adult stem cells. When muscle damage occurs, these cells are able to activate, proliferate and ultimately fuse with each other in order to form new myofibers or fuse with existing ones. For tissue engineering applications, obtaining a sufficient number of myoblasts prior t...

Two solid derivatives of dichlone (2,3-dichloronaphthalene-1,4-dione), 2-(benzylamino)-3-chloronaphthalene-1,4-dione and 2-chloro-3-(phenethylamino)naphthalene-1,4-dione were synthetized by replacing the chlorine atom with the amine substituent by means of a substitution reaction, with a purity grade of 98% mol mol⁻¹. The solubility expressed as mo...