Descoberta de metabólitos fúngicos bioativos

• Grant number: 21/12629-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: February 01, 2022
• End date: January 31, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Pharmacy - Pharmacognosy
• Principal Investigator: Roberto Gomes de Souza Berlinck
• Grantee: Gabriel Cóscia Junqueira
• Host Institution: Instituto de Química de São Carlos (IQSC). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 19/17721-9 - The role of Chemistry in holobiont adaptation, AP.TEM

Abstract

Fungi are widely distributed in nature, in terrestrial, freshwater, and marine environments. It is estimated that there are 2 to 5 million species of fungi, distributed in 12 phyla and 200 orders. Historically, the secondary metabolism of fungi has always been explored for the discovery of bioactive secondary metabolites, such as penicillins as potent antibiotics, cyclosporine as an immunosuppressant, and lovastatin as an inhibitor of the enzyme HMG-CoA reductase, which regulates cholesterol biosynthesis. Among the most recently explored fungal strains aiming at the discovery of bioactive metabolites produced in the culture medium, those of marine origin and those of endophytic origin stand out. Several studies have shown that endophytic fungi isolated from different plants produce metabolites in a culture medium that have antibacterial, antifungal, cytotoxic, antiviral, antiparasitic, immunosuppressive activities, among other activities. However, there is a consensus that fungal strains of marine and endophytic origin are largely under-investigated from a chemical and pharmacological point of view. This project aims to study the secondary metabolism of a fungal strain of marine origin M3, not yet identified. Specifically, the objective is to carry out the isolation of bioactive metabolites, using bio-guided fractionation by bioassays of anti-plasmodial, antibacterial, antifungal, and cytotoxic activity, after the growth of the strain on a large scale. Different chromatographic separation approaches will be employed, concomitantly monitored by HPLC-UV-MS. Pure compounds will be completely identified by spectroscopic techniques and evaluated in bioassays to be used in the development of the project.(AU)