Preprints

URI permanente para esta colecciónhttp://10.0.96.45:4000/handle/11056/20514

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Mostrando 1 - 4 de 4

Agro-Industrial Avocado (Persea americana) Waste Biorefinery
(Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI) (Suiza), 2021) Mora-Sandí, Anthony; Ramírez-González, Abigail; Castillo-Henríquez, Luis; Lopretti-Correa, Mary; Jose-Roberto, Vega-Baudrit
Abstract. Significant problems have arisen in the last years, such as climate change, global warming, and hunger. These complications are correlated with the depletion and exploitation of natural resources and environmental contamination. Due to overcrowding, the list of challenges for the next few years is growing. A comprehensive approach was made to the agro-industrial production of Avocado (Persea americana) and the management of all its biomass waste. So, bioprocesses and biorefinery can be used to produce high added-value products. A large number of residues are composed of lignin and cellulose. They have many potentials to be exploited sustainably for chemical and biological conversion; physical, chemical, and natural treatments improve the following operations. There are some applications to many fields such as pharmaceutical, medical, material engineering, and environmental remediation. Possible pathways are mentioned to take advantage of Avocado as biofuels, drugs, bioplastics, and even in the environmental part and emerging technologies such as nanotechnology using bioprocesses and biotech. In conclusion, Avocado and its waste could be transformed into high value-added products in industries above to mitigate global warming and save non-renewable energy.
Bioengineered Scaffolds for Thermo-responsive Drug Delivery in Wound Healing
(Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI) (Suiza), 2020) Castillo-Henríquez, Luis; Castro-Alpízar, Jose; Lopretti-Correa, Mary; Jose-Roberto, Vega-Baudrit
Innate and adaptive immune responses lead to wound healing by regulating a complex series of events promoting cellular cross-talk. An inflammatory response is presented with its characteristic clinical symptoms: heat, pain, redness, and swelling. Some smart thermo-responsive polymers like chitosan can be used to create biocompatible and biodegradable scaffolds with 3D architectures similar to human structures, allowing their efficient and safe use as tissue engineering and drug delivery systems in chronic wounds. Locally heated tumors above polymer lower critical solution temperature can induce its conversion into a hydrophobic form, enhancing drug release until the thermal stimulus is gone, where a lower release is due to the swelling of the material. This paper integrates the relevant reported contributions of bioengineered scaffolds for thermo-responsive drug delivery in wound healing. Therefore, we present a comprehensive review that aims to demonstrate the capacity of these systems to provide spatially and temporally controlled release strategies for one or more drugs used in wound healing. In this sense, the novel manufacturing techniques of 3D-printing and electrospinning are explored for the tuning of their physicochemical properties to adjust therapies according to the patient’s convenience, as well as reduce drug toxicity and side effects.
Biosensors for the Detection of Bacterial and Viral Clinical Pathogens and COVID-19 Diagnosis
(Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI) (Suiza), 2020) Castillo-Henríquez, Luis; Brenes-Acuña, Mariana; Castro-Rojas, Arianna; Cordero-Salmerón, Rolando; Lopretti, Mary; Jose-Roberto, Vega-Baudrit
Biosensors are measurement devices that can sense several biomolecules, and are widely used for the detection of relevant clinical pathogens such as bacteria and viruses, showing outstanding results. Because of the latent existing risk of facing another pandemic like the one we are living due to COVID-19, researchers are constantly looking forward to developing new technologies for diagnosis and treatment of infections caused by different bacteria and viruses. Regarding that, nanotechnology has improved biosensors design and performance through the development of materials and nanoparticles that enhance their affinity, selectivity, and efficacy in detecting these pathogens, such as employing nanoparticles, graphene quantum dots, and electrospun nanofibers. Therefore, this work aims to present a comprehensive review that exposes how biosensors work in terms of bacterial and viral detection, and the nanotechnological features that are contributing to achieving a faster yet still efficient COVID-19 diagnosis at the point-of-care.
Green Synthesis of Metal Nanoparticles from Plant Extracts, and Their Possible Application as Antimicrobial Agents in the Agricultural Area
(Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI) (Suiza), 2020) Castillo-Henríquez, Luis; Alfaro, Karla; Ugalde Álvarez, Jeisson; Vega-Fernández, Laura; Montes de Oca-Vásquez, Gabriela; Jose-Roberto, Vega-Baudrit
Currently, metal nanoparticles have varied uses for different medical, pharmaceutical, and agricultural applications. Nano-biotechnology combined with green chemistry has great potential for the development of novel and necessary products that benefit human activities, while encourages the reduction of hazardous reagents for nanoparticle production. Green chemistry has an important role due to its contribution to unconventional synthesis methods of gold and silver nanoparticles from plant extracts, which have exhibited antimicrobial potential among other outstanding properties. Biodiversity-rich countries need to collect and convert knowledge from biological resources into processes, compounds, methods, and tools, which need to be achieved along with sustainable use and exploitation of biological diversity. Therefore, this review focuses on the importance of metal nanoparticles, the use of plant extract for their synthesis as well as other available methods, and the relevant antimicrobial activity that can be exploited in a sustainable model of agricultural management through a modern nanotechnological approach.

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Examinando Preprints por Autor "Castillo-Henríquez, Luis"