MALDI-TOF-MSI, a cutting-edge analytical approach for mapping orbitides and cyclotides in plant species from the Amazonia

• Grant number: 25/08311-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: July 01, 2025
• End date: June 30, 2027
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Organic Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Vanderlan da Silva Bolzani
• Grantee: Ana Letícia Pires dos Santos
• Host Institution: Instituto de Química (IQ). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Araraquara. Araraquara , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 24/18442-4 - Peptide Biodiversity: Advancing Human Health Through Nature's Pharmacological Treasures, AP.BTA.R

Abstract

MALDI-TOF-MSI, a cutting-edge analytical approach for mapping orbitides and cyclotides in plant species from the Amazonia. Peptides, especially those of plant origin, represent a promising field for the development of new drugs, attracting increasing interest from academia and the pharmaceutical industry. Their cyclic structure confers rigidity, optimizing the interaction with cellular receptors and potentiating biological activity. The Brazilian biodiversity, particularly the Amazon, harbors a vast arsenal of still unexplored peptides. This pioneering project aims to identify, isolate, and characterize these molecules in Amazonian plants, unraveling their role in plant signaling and defense, and exploring their potential for bioprospecting insecticides, antimicrobials, and antifungals. Using cutting-edge techniques such as MALDI-MSI imaging, we will map the spatial distribution of these metabolites in plant tissues, correlating it with anatomical and physiological characteristics. The Nucleus of Bioassays, Biosynthesis, and Ecology of Natural Products (NuBBE) at the Institute of Chemistry of UNESP, one of the few research groups dedicated to this class of compounds in the country, attaches great importance to this project, which is at the forefront of modern phytochemistry."