Investigation of new anti-leishmania drug candidates

• Grant number: 24/18243-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Program to Stimulate Scientific Vocations
• Start date: January 06, 2025
• End date: February 14, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Biophysics - Molecular Biophysics
• Principal Investigator: Adriano Defini Andricopulo
• Grantee: Karla Valéria Maia de Queiroz
• Host Institution: Instituto de Física de São Carlos (IFSC). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are a group of endemic illnesses that primarily, but not exclusively, affect low-income populations in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. They impact around 1 billion people globally and represent a major public health issue. Among the NTDs, leishmaniasis stands out as a parasitic disease that manifests in two forms: visceral and cutaneous, with the former being the most severe. A significant number of visceral leishmaniasis cases have been reported in countries near the equator, including Brazil. Given this scenario, there is a shortage of treatment options, which are characterized by low efficacy and severe side effects. Therefore, it is essential to study new drug candidates with greater efficacy and safety. The present project aims to evaluate the antiparasitic activity of new drug candidates against Leishmania infantum, the species responsible for visceral leishmaniasis, through in vitro bioassays on the THP-1 cell line and the determination of IC50 values, in addition to assessing cytotoxicity in these cells and HepG2 hepatocytes. Pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic parameters will be investigated through molecular modeling. The proposed work will be carried out at the Laboratory of Medicinal and Computational Chemistry (LQMC) of the Institute of Physics of São Carlos (IFSC) at the University of São Paulo (USP).