EFFICIENCY OF RUTHENIUM COMPLEXES AND PORPHYRIN DERIVATIVES IN PHOTODYNAMIC THERAPY IN Leishmania amazonensis

• Grant number: 18/24190-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: July 01, 2019
• End date: June 30, 2021
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Biophysics - Radiology and Photobiology
• Principal Investigator: Mauricio da Silva Baptista
• Grantee: Drielli Gomes Vital Fujii
• Host Institution: Instituto de Química (IQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Photodynamic therapy has been widely used in several areas such as cancer, microorganisms infections, hyperbilirubinemia, among others, as an alternative to conventional treatments in order to obtain an effective treatment with less toxicity. Photodynamic therapy using compounds with dual activity, which act as generators of reactive oxygen species presented promising in a study promising results in the treatment of cancer cells, since they are delivered to the target tissue causing less cytotoxicity and improving the effectiveness of the treatment. Another study using porphyrin derivatives as photosensitizers showed activity against cancer cells (HaCaT and HeLa) showing to be excellent compounds for the study of PDT in other diseases. Thus, the study of these compounds as photosensitizers in PDT can present excellent results in diseases that present complications in the treatment, as is the case of Leishmaniasis that are a group of diseases caused by the parasite of the genus Leishmania, and are responsible for incapacitate and lead to death thousands of people worldwide. The treatment for these diseases is ineffective, high cost and high toxicity. With this, the objective of this project is to use photodynamic therapy with Ruthenium complexes that present dual activity and porphyrin derivatives, in order to obtain an alternative therapy for 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)

D.G. VITAL-FUJII; M.S. BAPTISTA. Progress in the photodynamic therapy treatment of Leishmaniasis. Brazilian Journal of Medical and Biological Research, v. 54, n. 12, 2021-10-29. (13/07937-8, 18/24190-7)