Antifungal action detection in mangrove fungi extracts

• Grant number: 05/03266-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: October 01, 2006
• End date: June 30, 2008
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Pharmacology - Biochemical and Molecular Pharmacology
• Principal Investigator: Ana Olívia de Souza
• Grantee: Lília Taddeo Firoozmand
• Host Institution: Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas (ICB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Fungal infections are very common in immunocompromissed patients and the morbid and mortality are frequently increasing. The number of drugs available for the treatment of fungal infections is very limited demanding the development of new drugs. Brazilian biodiversity is wide and poorly explored representing important source of new molecules to chemistry and pharmaceutics companies. Regarding these aspects, fungi collected from mangroves will be cultured in laboratory and their organic extracts evaluated, in vitro and in vivo, as antifungal, antimycobacterial, tripanocide, and leishmanicide agents. Potential extracts (CIM > 100 micrograms/mL) will be selected and lately purified to isolation of the active compounds.