Productivity-CTI LAPAAM-INPA in investigating the antimalarial activity of plants used in traditional Amazonian medicine (IAPUMA)

The increasing resistance of P. falciparum (the parasite that causes the most severe form of human malaria) and P. vivax (most important in the Amazon and the Americas in terms of number of cases) to existing antimalarials makes the search for new agents for the treatment of malaria a tentative task. important for the future control of this disease. The in vitro bioassay (microtest) to inhibit the growth of P. falciparum from an in vitro culture of this parasite is carried out in collaboration with the Plasmodium Culture Laboratory of the Dengue and Malaria Laboratory at INPA. This microtest is carried out in two stages, the first in two concentrations of samples to perform sieving and a second stage evaluates the samples (extracts, fractions, purified substances and their derivatives) in seven concentrations and multiple experiments with the purpose of generating a value of statistically relevant median inhibitory concentration (IC50). Also, cytotoxicity tests must be carried out to evaluate this parameter in normal cell lines in order to allow the calculation of the selectivity of the substances in their antiplasmodial action. Active plant extracts will be fractionated in two ongoing doctoral projects at LAPAAM by PPG students in Chemistry at UFAM on Simaba pubicarpa and Homalolepis cedron. Another ongoing doctoral project by a PPG student in Biotechnology at UFAM is following the team’s work by applying the microtest to bioguide the work to obtain antimalarial active ingredients, one of the main reasons for research at LAPAAM. This joint effort by the team is aimed at discovering new substances in plants that have potential as new classes of antimalarials. During this scholarship period, we also intend to finish some manuscripts referring to academic work completed recently on Aspidosperma spp., Copaifera spp., Geissospermum and Protium spp. which should result in submitted and published manuscripts.

Project details

Drug Resistance
Product Development

Mar 2023

Brazil