Synthesis of fatty acid phytyl esters

• Grant number: 16/18056-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Post-doctor
• Start date: November 07, 2016
• End date: December 06, 2016
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Biochemistry - Chemistry of Macromolecules
• Principal Investigator: Alejandro Miguel Katzin
• Grantee: Rodrigo Antonio Ceschini Sussmann
• Supervisor: Alicia Susana Couto
• Host Institution: Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas (ICB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA), Argentina
• Associated to the scholarship: 15/07423-0 - The study of phylloquinone and phytol metabolism in Plasmodium falciparum, BP.PD

Abstract

Our group has identified in P. falciparum the biosynthesis of several products of exclusive biosynthesis in plants, bacteria and algae. Among them, the vitamin K1 has became an interesting target of study since we detected in the parasite a possible product of its degradation, the phytol. In plants, phytol has a tight-regulated metabolism and it can be recycled in chlorophyll, vitamin K1, vitamin E and fatty acid phytyl esters. We hypothesized that P. falciparum could biosynthesize fatty acid phytyl esters. However, these compounds are not commercially available and it is necessary to synthesize them to verify their presence in the parasite. The present study aims to synthesize and fatty acids phytyl esters and to establish chromatographic and mass spectrometry systems for analyses of these compounds in collaboration with Dr. Alicia S. Couto of the Organic Chemistry Department of the University of Buenos Aires.