Isolation, characterization, antileishmanial and antitrypanosomal activity of bioactive compounds from Brazilian amphibian poisons

Abstract

Among the parasitic infectious diseases, those caused by protozoan parasites are a significant challenge for Public Health and are represented by Leishmaniasis and Chagas disease. It affects mainly the poorest population and thus is not recognized as a potential market. The goal of the present work is to isolate novel natural compounds with antileishmanial and antitrypanosomal activities. In this study it will be fractionated using bioguided assays the poison of the amphibians Corythomantis greeningi and Siphonops annulatus through different chromatographic techniques with the focus on active peptides and secondary metabolites. It will also be evaluate the in vitro effectiveness of the isolated compounds against different parasitic life stages of both parasites. Through spectroscopic techniques, as nuclear magnetic resonance and spectrometric techniques as mass spectrometry the chemical structure of the bioactive compounds will be elucidated. By using cytotoxicity assays against mammalian cells it will be evaluated the in vitro Selectivity Index. This study aims to contribute with novel drug leads from natural sources that could be promptly used for drug design and molecular modeling studies for Leishmaniasis and Chagas disease.