Lipid nanoparticles as carriers of triterpenes for the treatment of Experimental Visceral Leishmaniasis

• Grant number: 16/10324-6
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Effective date (Start): December 01, 2016
• Effective date (End): March 19, 2021
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Medicine - Pathological Anatomy and Clinical Pathology
• Principal Investigator: Luiz Felipe Domingues Passero
• Grantee: Jéssica Adriana de Jesus
• Home Institution: Faculdade de Medicina (FM). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 18/04080-2 - Preparation and physical chemical characterization of lipid nanoparticles as carriers of triterpenes for the treatment of Visceral Leishmaniasis., BE.EP.DR

Abstract

Leishmaniasis are antropozoonosis considered as a serious problem of public health, that represent a complex of diseases with important clinical spectrum and epidemiological diversity. The current treatments are not totally effective and possess serious side effects to patients. Furthermore, in some parts of the world there are reports of resistance of the parasite to standard drugs, that warming to the necessity for finding new therapeutic alternatives to this pathology. In this concern, our group demonstrated that ursólico acid showed therapeutic activity in experimental tegumentar and visceral leishmaniasis. Thus, in order to increasing its efficacy, this project aims at loading the ursolic acid, as well as other three triterpenes in solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) and nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC). The triterpenes will be commercially purchased and loaded into SLN and NLC. The cytotoxic potential and the activity against promastigotes and intracellular amastigotes of triterpene-loaded nanoparticles as well as free triterpenes will be evaluated. The most selective formulation will be chosen to perform in vivo studies, that will be carried out with hamsters infected by L. chagasi. Studies of toxicity with the most selective formulation will be performed. Of note, this is the first study about the development of nanosystems of distribution containing triterpenoids to the treatment of visceral leishmaniasis.

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)

JESUS, JESSICA ADRIANA; FRAGOSO DA SILVA, THAYS NICOLLI; YAMAMOTO, EDUARDO SEIJI; G. LAGO, JOAO HENRIQUE; DALASTRA LAURENTI, MARCIA; PASSERO, LUIZ FELIPE DOMINGUES. Ursolic Acid Potentializes Conventional Therapy in Experimental Leishmaniasis. PATHOGENS, v. 9, n. 10 OCT 2020. Web of Science Citations: 0.