Evaluation of the antimalarial potential of Epirubicin (4'-epidoxorubicin)

• Grant number: 17/02031-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: August 01, 2017
• End date: February 28, 2019
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Parasitology - Protozoology of Parasites
• Agreement: Coordination of Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES)
• Principal Investigator: Fabio Trindade Maranhão Costa
• Grantee: Letícia Tiburcio Ferreira
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biologia (IB). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Caused by protozoa of the genus Plasmodium, malaria is one of the major parasitic diseases in history. It is estimated that more than 3 billion people are at risk of infection by the disease. Despite advances in malaria control, Brazil still accounts for more than half the cases in the Americas. The presence of drug-resistant parasites is recurrently observed for different species of Plasmodium. Despite the need to seek new compounds with antimalarial activity, the pharmaceutical industry faces obstacles in establishing new drugs. Considering time and costs for development and approval of new drugs, tropical diseases like malaria are often hampered in the search for effective treatments. Regarding reduced risks and time saving, drug repositioning arises as a new strategy for the search for antimalarials. Epirubicin is an anthracycline with antitumor activity approved by the FDA with wide application in clinical oncology. Studies report the sharing of antitumor and antimalarial activities by intercalating DNA anthracyclines. Based on preliminary data from our group reporting epirubicin hydrochloride as an inhibitor of P. falciparum growth, this project aims to establish the antimalarial potential of epirubicin and to cooperate with the availability of new treatments for the control and possible eradication of the disease. (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)

FERREIRA, LETICIA TIBURCIO; RODRIGUES, JULIANA; CASSIANO, GUSTAVO CAPATTI; TAVELLA, TATYANA ALMEIDA; PERALIS TOMAZ, KAIRA CRISTINA; BAIA-DA-SILVA, DJANE CLARYS; SOUZA, MACEJANE FERREIRA; DO NASCIMENTO LIMA, MARILIA NUNES; MOTTIN, MELINA; ALMEIDA, LUDIMILA DIAS; et al. Computational Chemogenomics Drug Repositioning Strategy Enables the Discovery of Epirubicin as a New Repurposed Hit for Plasmodium falciparum and P. vivax. Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, v. 64, n. 9, SEP 2020. (17/02031-1, 18/24878-9, 13/13119-6, 15/03553-6, 17/01986-8, 15/20774-6)

LIMA, MARILIA N. N.; NEVES, BRUNO J.; CASSIANO, GUSTAVO C.; GOMES, MARCELO N.; TOMAZ, KAIRA C. P.; FERREIRA, LETICIA T.; TAVELLA, TATYANA A.; CALIT, JULIANA; BARGIERI, DANIEL Y.; MURATOV, EUGENE N.; et al. Chalcones as a basis for computer-aided drug design: innovative approaches to tackle. Future Medicinal Chemistry, v. 11, n. 20, p. 2635-2646, OCT 2019. (17/02031-1, 13/13119-6, 17/02353-9, 17/18611-7, 12/16525-2, 18/24878-9)

Academic Publications

(References retrieved automatically from State of São Paulo Research Institutions)

FERREIRA, Letícia Tiburcio. In vitro and in vivo evaluation of the antimalarial potential of Epirubicin. 2019. Master's Dissertation - Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Instituto de Biologia Campinas, SP.