Identification of natural antiparasitic products produced by insect–bacterial symbiosis

• Grant number: 16/15872-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: October 01, 2016
• End date: June 30, 2017
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Organic Chemistry
• Agreement: National Institutes of Health (NIH)
• Principal Investigator: Mônica Tallarico Pupo
• Grantee: Ana Lígia Leandrini de Oliveira
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto (FCFRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 13/50954-0 - Novel therapeutic agents from the bacterial symbionts of Brazilian invertebrates, AP.BTA.TEM

Abstract

Natural products have provided valuable leads for drug design and development, with a special recent recognition of natural products produced by microbial symbionts as promising leads/drugs candidates. This ICBG is highly focused in the discovery of antifungal, antiparasitic and anticancer agents. Since their discovery many decades ago, Chagas' disease and leishmaniasis (protozoan diseases) still present major treatment challenges. Despite their high impact, millions are infected and thousands die annually, the few drugs available display numerous drawbacks, including serious side effects and low efficacy. Therefore, there is an urgent need for the development of safe and effective new medicines to meet the therapeutic needs of the affected individuals. This postdoctoral research project will prioritize bacterial strains that have been found as active against primary assays using Trypanosoma cruzi and Leishmania donovani (screening carried out by Prof. Adriano Andricopulo, IFSC-USP, co-investigator in AP1). Selected bacterial strains will be re-cultured in large scale, extracts will be prepared and compounds will be isolated using chromatographic methods. Large efforts will be concentrated in the structural identification of new natural products, using extensive NMR and MS methods. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

ORTEGA, HUMBERTO E.; FERREIRA, LEONARDO L. G.; MELO, WEILAN G. P.; OLIVEIRA, ANA LIGIA L.; RAMOS ALVARENGA, RENE F.; LOPES, NORBERTO P.; BUGNI, TIM S.; ANDRICOPULO, ADRIANO D.; PUPO, MONICA T.. Antifungal compounds from Streptomyces associated with attine ants also inhibit Leishmania donovani. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, v. 13, n. 8, AUG 2019. (13/07600-3, 13/50954-0, 15/01001-6, 14/14095-6, 16/15872-1, 16/20154-0)