Objectives: To evaluate the antifungal activity of extracts and compounds from against clinically relevant species, notably , and investigate possible mechanisms of action using electron microscopy and techniques.
Methods: Extracts and fractions of were obtained through turboextraction and partitioning, while the isolated compounds were previously purified. The ethyl acetate fraction (EAF) was characterized by HPLC.
Toxicol Appl Pharmacol
January 2025
Parasitol Res
June 2024
Parasitol Res
May 2024
Toxoplasmosis poses a global health threat, ranging from asymptomatic cases to severe, potentially fatal manifestations, especially in immunocompromised individuals and congenital transmission. Prior research suggests that oregano essential oil (OEO) exhibits diverse biological effects, including antiparasitic activity against Toxoplasma gondii. Given concerns about current treatments, exploring new compounds is important.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChagas disease, or American trypanosomiasis, is a neglected tropical disease which is a top priority target of the World Health Organization. The disease, endemic mainly in Latin America, is caused by the protozoan and has spread around the globe due to human migration. There are multiple transmission routes, including vectorial, congenital, oral, and iatrogenic.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn this paper, we present the design and synthesis of a novel series of pyrido[2,3-]pyridazine-2,8-dione derivatives the annulation of the 2-pyridone pattern. The synthesized derivatives were evaluated for anti-inflammatory activity using an ear edema model. Compound 7c, which showed a greater inhibition of ear edema (82%), was further tested for its COX-1/COX-2 inhibitory activity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPhytomedicine
June 2024
Background: Lung cancer, a chronic and heterogeneous disease, is the leading cause of cancer-related death on a global scale. Presently, despite a variety of available treatments, their effectiveness is limited, often resulting in considerable toxicity and adverse effects. Additionally, the development of chemoresistance in cancer cells poses a challenge.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiochim Biophys Acta Mol Basis Dis
April 2024
Unlabelled: Leishmaniasis is a group of infectious diseases caused by protozoa of the Leishmania genus and its immunopathogenesis results from an unbalanced immune response during the infection. Diabetes is a chronic disease resulting from dysfunction of the body's production of insulin or the ability to use it properly, leading to hyperglycemia causing tissue damage and impairing the immune system.
Aims: The objective of this work was to evaluate the effects of hyperglycemia and diabetes during Leishmania amazonensis infection and how these conditions alter the immune response to the parasite.
Biomed Pharmacother
January 2024
Lung cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths in men and women worldwide. Current treatments have limited efficacy, cause significant side effects, and cells can develop drug resistance. New therapeutic strategies are needed to discover alternative anticancer agents with high efficacy and low-toxicity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLeishmaniasis is a neglected tropical disease with a wide spectrum of clinical manifestations, ranging from visceral to cutaneous, with millions of new cases and thousands of deaths reported each year. The species of and the immune response of the host determine the severity of the disease. Leishmaniasis remains challenging to diagnose and treat, and there is no vaccine available.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiomodified coated-lipid vesicles were obtained using the DPPC lipid (L) and F127 copolymer linked covalently with spermine (SN), biotin (BT), and folic acid (FA), resulting in LF127-SN, LF127-BT, and LF127-FA nanoplatforms. The photosensitizer hypericin (HY) was incorporated into the nanosystem by a thin-film method and characterized by dynamic light scattering, zeta potential, encapsulation efficiency, and transmission electronic microscopy. The results provided a good level of stability for all nanoplatforms for at least 5 days as an aqueous dispersion.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLeishmaniasis is a disease caused by protozoa species of the genus, and the current treatments face several difficulties and obstacles. Most anti-leishmanial drugs are administered intravenously, showing many side effects and drug resistance. The discovery of new anti-leishmanial compounds and the development of new pharmaceutical systems for more efficient and safer treatments are necessary.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAmerican tegumentary leishmaniasis, a zoonotic disease caused by the genus, poses significant challenges in treatment, including administration difficulty, low efficacy, and parasite resistance. Novel compounds or associations offer alternative therapies, and natural products such as oregano essential oil (OEO), extracted from , have been extensively researched due to biological effects, including antibacterial, antifungal, and antiparasitic properties. Silver nanoparticles (AgNp), a nanomaterial with compelling antimicrobial and antiparasitic activity, have been shown to exhibit potent leishmanicidal properties.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNew antiviral agents for the treatment of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) infection, which causes a highly prevalent and incurable disease, are needed. Here, we report for the first time the in vitro anti-HSV-1 activity of two dibenzylideneketone compounds: DBK1 and DBK2. DBK1 demonstrated virucidal activity, and high-resolution scanning electron microscopy showed that it caused morphological changes in the HSV-1 envelope.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF3D equivalent tissues can be used for studies of fungal infections. To develop 3D electrospun nanofibers using polycaprolactone (PCL) colonized by HeLa cells as a possible model for the investigation of fungal infection. A PCL solution was synthesized and electrospun.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLife Sci
April 2023
Aims: Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) is a primary neoplasm derived from hepatocytes with low responsiveness and recurrent chemoresistance. Melatonin is an alternative agent that may be helpful in treating HCC. We aimed to study in HuH 7.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCancer is one of the most common diseases nowadays and derives from the uncontrollable growth of a single cell. Magnetic nanoparticles (NpMag) offer various possibilities for use in the biomedical area, including drug delivery mediated by magnetic fields. In the current study, we evaluated the in vitro effects of iron-oxide magnetic nanoparticles conjugated with the antitumor drug doxorubicin (Dox) on human breast cancer cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiotin, spermine, and folic acid were covalently linked to the F127 copolymer to obtain a new drug delivery system designed for HY-loaded PDT treatment against BF cells. Chemical structures and binders quantification were performed by spectroscopy and spectrophotometric techniques (NMR, HABA/Avidin reagent, fluorescamine assay). Critical micelle concentration, critical micelle temperature, size, polydispersity, and zeta potential indicate the hydrophobicity of the binders can influence the physicochemical parameters.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMultifunctional P123 micelle linked covalently with spermine (SM) and folic acid (FA) was developed as a drug delivery system of hypericin (HYP). The chemical structures of the modified copolymers were confirmed by spectroscopy and spectrophotometric techniques (UV-vis, FTIR, and H NMR). The copolymeric micelles loading HYP were prepared by solid dispersion and characterized by UV-vis, fluorescence, dynamic light scattering (DLS), ζ potential, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOver the past years, natural products have been explored in order to find biological active substances to treat various diseases. Regarding their potential action against parasites such as trypanosomatids, specially Trypanosoma cruzi and Leishmania spp., much advance has been achieved.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMicrobes Infect
August 2022
Owing to the serious adverse effects caused by pyrimethamine and sulfadiazine, the drugs commonly used to treat toxoplasmosis, there is a need for treatment alternatives for this disease. Nanotechnology has enabled significant advances toward this goal. This study was conducted to evaluate the activity of biogenic silver nanoparticles (AgNp-Bio) in RAW 264.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChem Biol Interact
January 2022
Leishmaniasis is an infectious-parasitic disease caused by the protozoan Leishmania spp. The available treatments are based upon expensive drugs bearing adverse side-effects. The search for new therapeutic alternatives that present a more effective action without causing adverse effects to the patient is therefore important.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFToxicol In Vitro
February 2022
Grandiflorenic acid (GFA) is one of the main kaurane diterpenes found in different parts of Sphagneticola trilobata. It has several biological activities, especially antiprotozoal action. In turn, Chagas disease is a complex systemic disease caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi, and the drugs available to treat it involve significant side effects and impose an urgent need to search for therapeutic alternatives.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study presents a phytotherapeutic emulsion-filled gel design composed of Pluronic® F127, Carbopol® C934P, and high level of copaiba oil-resin (PHY-ECO). Mathematical modeling and response surface methodology (RSM) were employed to access the optimal ratio between the oil and the polymer gel-matrix constituents. The chemometric approach showed robust mechanical and thermoresponsive properties for emulsion gel.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInvited for this month's cover picture is the group of Prof. Fernanda Andreia Rosa at the State University of Maringá (Brazil). The cover picture shows the contribution of the SINTHET research group to the synthesis and discovery of new antiprotozoal compounds.
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