| Grant number: | 17/14261-1 |
| Support Opportunities: | Regular Research Grants |
| Start date: | October 01, 2017 |
| End date: | September 30, 2019 |
| Field of knowledge: | Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Organic Chemistry |
| Principal Investigator: | Ana Helena Januário |
| Grantee: | Ana Helena Januário |
| Host Institution: | Pró-Reitoria Adjunta de Pesquisa e Pós-Graduação. Universidade de Franca (UNIFRAN). Franca , SP, Brazil |
| City of the host institution: | Franca |
Abstract
In the last decades the marine environment has deserved prominence as a rich and little studied source of natural molecules structurally new and with pharmacological potential for therapeutic purposes. Several products derived from marine organisms have been approved for use in humans and others are under development. Continuing the study that our research group has developed with ascidians, in this regular research project we intend to broaden the approach in research, focusing now on the microbiota associated with this class of marine invertebrates. Ascidians belonging to the genera Aplidium, Botrylloides and Didemnum are widely distributed in the São Sebastião Channel and were selected for study in this project. Associated fungi will be initially isolated, characterized and identified by classical and molecular methods. The strains will be used to obtain fermentative extracts. The fungal extracts will be preliminarily evaluated for their schistosomicidal, cyanogenic and cytotoxic potential. In addition, the marine extracts will be fractionated, aiming the isolation of the active principles, which will be submitted to the biological investigation that will allow the isolation of the active natural products, while the challenge of the structural elucidation will be realized by the extensive use of 2D-NMR and mass spectrometry. This project will contribute to the identification of novel classes of schistosomicidal and leishmanicidal agents for neglected tropical diseases that are in extreme need for new therapeutic agents, as well as the formation of specialized human resources in marine natural products. (AU)
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