Rafa Barbas

Dr. Rafa Barbas

University of Barcelona, Barcelona
orcid

Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

16Years (2011-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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30 October 2018 in Crystal Growth & Design
Verified
Journal Article
Closed access
RBRafa Barbas
Rafa Barbas
MFMercè Font-Bardia
Mercè Font-Bardia
APAnant Paradkar
Anant Paradkar
CHChristopher A. Hunter
Christopher A. Hunter
Rafel ProhensRafel Prohens
Rafel Prohens

3 March 2021 in Crystal Growth & Design
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
LBLídia Bofill
Lídia Bofill
RBRafa Barbas
Rafa Barbas
DSDafne de Sande
Dafne de Sande
MFMercè Font-Bardia
Mercè Font-Bardia
Clara RàfolsClara Ràfols
Clara Ràfols
Rafel ProhensRafel Prohens
Rafel Prohens
New multicomponent solid forms of the nutraceutical pterostilbene have been discovered and characterized through experimental cocrystal screening. Among the coformers tested, picolinic acid formed a cocrystal with a 10-fold enhancement of oral bioavailability in rats, which converts the new cocrystal into a very promising candidate for new formulations of pterostilbene with improved performance.

27 November 2018 in Chemical Communications
Verified
Journal Article
Closed access
PDF file
RBRafa Barbas
Rafa Barbas
Rafel ProhensRafel Prohens
Rafel Prohens
Antonio BauzáAntonio Bauzá
Antonio Bauzá
Antonio FranconettiAntonio Franconetti
Antonio Franconetti
Antonio FronteraAntonio Frontera
Antonio Frontera
Herein we report the experimental observation (X-ray characterization) of two different binding modes in H-bonded anion–anion complexes (anion = citrate) in N-(1-(2-phenylethyl)-4-piperidinylium)-N-phenyl-propanamide-citrate (fentanyl citrate). High level DFT calculations indicate that both types of anion–anion complexes (one with two and the other with four H-bonds) are thermodynamically unstable but kinetically stable with respect to the isolated anions with activation barriers as high as 14 kcal mol−1.

27 December 2021 in Pharmaceutics
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
HFHANAN FAEL
HANAN FAEL
RBRafa Barbas
Rafa Barbas
Rafel ProhensRafel Prohens
Rafel Prohens
Clara RàfolsClara Ràfols
Clara Ràfols
Elisabet FuguetElisabet Fuguet
Elisabet Fuguet
A new cocrystal of Norfloxacin, a poorly soluble fluoroquinolone antibiotic, has been synthetized by a solvent-mediated transformation experiment in toluene, using resorcinol as a coformer. The new cocrystal exists in both anhydrous and monohydrate forms with the same (1:1) Norfloxacin/resorcinol stoichiometry. The solubility of Norfloxacin and the hydrated cocrystal were determined by the shake-flask method. While Norfloxacin has a solubility of 0.32 ± 0.02 mg/mL, the cocrystal has a solubility of 2.64 ± 0.39 mg/mL, approximately 10-fold higher. The dissolution rate was tested at four biorelevant pH levels of the gastrointestinal tract: 2.0, 4.0, 5.5, and 7.4. In a first set of comparative tests, the dissolution rate of Norfloxacin and the cocrystal was determined separately at each pH value. Both solid forms showed the highest dissolution rate at pH 2.0, where Norfloxacin is totally protonated. Then, the dissolution rate decreases as pH increases. In a second set of experiments, the dissolution of the cocrystal was evaluated by a unique dissolution test, in which the pH dynamically changed from 2.0 to 7.4, stepping 30 min at each of the four biorelevant pH values. Results were quite different in this case, since dissolution at pH 2 affects the behavior of Norfloxacin at the rest of the pH values.

15 July 2020 in Crystal Growth & Design
Verified
Journal Article
Closed access
LBLídia Bofill
Lídia Bofill
DSDafne de Sande
Dafne de Sande
RBRafa Barbas
Rafa Barbas
Rafel ProhensRafel Prohens
Rafel Prohens

20 August 2020 in Crystal Growth & Design
Verified
Journal Article
Closed access
LBLídia Bofill
Lídia Bofill
Rafel ProhensRafel Prohens
Rafel Prohens
RBRafa Barbas
Rafa Barbas
Antonio FronteraAntonio Frontera
Antonio Frontera