CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES FOR THE ISOLATION, CHARACTERIZATION AND SYNTHESIS OF PLANT CYCLOPEPTIDES

• Grant number: 24/05515-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: June 01, 2024
• End date: November 30, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Organic Chemistry
• Agreement: CNPq - INCTs
• Principal Investigator: Vanderlan da Silva Bolzani
• Grantee: Pedro Henrique Jatai Batista
• Host Institution: Instituto de Química (IQ). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Araraquara. Araraquara , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 14/50926-0 - INCT 2014: biodiversity and natural products, AP.BTA.TEM

Abstract

Cyclopeptides from plants can be understood as cyclic compounds formed mainly by peptide bonds containing 2-37 amino acids, where most of the amino acids are from the L-amino acid series. Based on their chemical skeletons and ecological distribution, peptides from plants can be classified into two major classes (homocyclopeptides and heterocyclopeptides), five subclasses (heteromonocyclopeptides, heterodicyclopeptides, homomonocyclopeptides, homodicyclopeptides and homopolycyclopeptides) and eight types (I to VIII). Cyclopeptides have been reported in the literature as important drug candidates due to their biological activities such as antibacterial, antifungal, antiplasmodial, sedative, immunomodulating, immunosuppressive, antimalarial, antitumor, among others. The literature reports the presence of cyclopeptides in 26 families, 65 genera and 120 species. Cyclopeptides can be products derived from protein processing, whose sequence is decoded by DNA. For the synthesis of these compounds, several different methodologies have been reported over the years. The activation of the carboxylic group by pentafluorophenyl esters, for example, is a highly efficient method for macrolactamization the targets. The use of DMF in diluted concentrations and the use of protective groups, such as BOC, and the use of intramolecular SN-Ar reactions are also very common strategies. Since this class of substances possess a great potential, identifying, isolating, characterizing, and understanding the effect of expression of these molecules, as well as the regulation of their function among plant organs, is proving to be an increasingly interesting strategy in the process of discovering new drugs.