Characterization of natural inhibitors of the recombinant arginase from L. (L.) amazonensis.

• Grant number: 11/21658-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: April 01, 2012
• End date: February 29, 2016
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine - Animal Pathology
• Principal Investigator: Edson Roberto da Silva
• Grantee: Matheus Balduino Gonçalves dos Reis
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Zootecnia e Engenharia de Alimentos (FZEA). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Pirassununga , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Leishmaniasis is a anthropozoonosis that affects domestic dogs and humans. The dogs with leishmaniasis are sacrificed due to lack of proper treatment. The enzyme arginase of Leishmania is a validated target for developing drugs against the parasite. Our group works with medicinal plants that have activity in cultured parasite and inhibit the enzyme arginase. The plant Cecropia pachystachya has in vitro activity against promastigotes of L. (L.) amazonensis arginase and inhibits the parasite arginase enzyme. So we propose in this project to isolate inhibitors and to characterize biochemically the enzyme inhibitions by natural compounds from C. pachystachya.