Browsing by Author "Venturini, Whitney"

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    Novel N-benzoylimidazolium ionic liquids derived from benzoic and hydroxybenzoic acids as therapeutic alternative against Biofilm-forming bacteria in skin and soft-tissue infections
    (2022) Forero-Doria, Oscar; Parra-Cid, Cristobal; Venturini, Whitney; Espinoza, Carolina; Araya-Maturana, Ramiro; Valenzuela-Riffo, Felipe; Saldias, Cesar; Leiva, Angel; Duarte, Yorley; Echeverria, Javier; Guzman, Luis
    The skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) -producing pathogens have acquired resistance to a wide range of antimicrobials, thus it is highly relevant to have new treatment alternatives. In this study, we report the synthesis, characterization, and antibacterial activity of three novel series of ionic liquids (ILs) derived from benzoic and hydroxybenzoic acids, with different lengths of the alkyl chain. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) were tested in Gram positive: Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, and Streptococcus pyogenes, and Gram negative: Acinetobacter baumannii and Escherichia coli, showing a MIC range of 0.01562 2.0 mM, with the activity varying according to the aromatic ring functionalization and the length of the alkyl chains. Regarding the antibiofilm activity, different efficacy was observed among the different ILs, some of them presenting antibiofilm activities close to 80% as in the case of those derived from syringic acid with an alkyl chain of six carbon atoms against Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Furthermore, the cell viability in HaCaT cells was determined, showing a half maximal effective concentration (EC50) values higher than the MIC values. The antimicrobial and antibiofilm results, along with not producing cellular toxicity at the MIC values shows that these ILs could be a promising alternative against SSTIs.
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    Platelet Activation Is Triggered by Factors Secreted by Senescent Endothelial HMEC-1 Cells In Vitro
    (2020) Venturini, Whitney; Olate-Briones, Alexandra; Valenzuela, Claudio; Mendez, Diego; Fuentes, Eduardo; Cayo, Angel; Mancilla, Daniel; Segovia, Raul; Brown, Nelson E.; Moore-Carrasco, Rodrigo
    Aging is one of the main risk factors for the development of chronic diseases, with both the vascular endothelium and platelets becoming functionally altered. Cellular senescence is a form of permanent cell cycle arrest initially described in primary cells propagated in vitro, although it can also be induced by anticancer drugs and other stressful stimuli. Attesting for the complexity of the senescent phenotype, senescent cells synthesize and secrete a wide variety of bioactive molecules. This "senescence-associated secretory phenotype" (SASP) endows senescent cells with the ability to modify the tissue microenvironment in ways that may be relevant to the development of various physiological and pathological processes. So far, however, the direct role of factors secreted by senescent endothelial cells on platelet function remains unknown. In the present work, we explore the effects of SASP factors derived from senescent endothelial cells on platelet function. To this end, we took advantage of a model in which immortalized endothelial cells (HMEC-1) were induced to senesce following exposure to doxorubicin, a chemotherapeutic drug widely used in the clinic. Our results indicate that (1) low concentrations of doxorubicin induce senescence in HMEC-1 cells; (2) senescent HMEC-1 cells upregulate the expression of selected components of the SASP and (3) the media conditioned by senescent endothelial cells are capable of inducing platelet activation and aggregation. These results suggest that factors secreted by senescent endothelial cells in vivo could have a relevant role in the platelet activation observed in the elderly or in patients undergoing therapeutic stress.