Antifungal action of liriodenine in systemic mycoses

Adriele Dandara Levorato Vinche, PhD Researcher, Department of Tropical Disease and Imaging Diagnosis, Botucatu Medical School, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Botucatu, SP, Brazil.

Over the past few years, there has been a growth in fungal infections and resistance to antifungals available on the market. Thus, the discovery and development of new drugs are extremely important. The article “Antifungal activity of liriodenine on agents of systemic mycoses, with emphasis on the genus Paracoccidioides”, published in the Journal of Venomous Animals and Toxins including Tropical Diseases (vol. 26), presents the antifungal activity of liriodenine on several types of fungi that cause systemic mycoses. Liriodenine is an alkaloid extracted from plants that possesses antibacterial, antiparasitic and cytotoxic properties.

The study was carried out by Adriele Dandara Levorato Vinche during her PhD research and was conducted from March 2014 to December 2017 at Botucatu Medical School, São Paulo State University (UNESP), under the supervision of Rinaldo Poncio Mendes, head professor of the Department of Tropical Disease and Imaging Diagnosis. Researchers from the Institute of Biosciences of Botucatu, UNESP, and the Universidad de Ciencia y Artes de Chiapas, Mexico, participated in the research, carrying out the extraction and identification of liriodenine.

The antifungal activity was evaluated by the liriodenine sensitivity test, using different strains of fungi. The test revealed that liriodenine has an antifungal effect on most of the strains evaluated, inhibiting the growth of microorganisms. Electron microscopy demonstrated that the alkaloid has a fungicidal effect, that is, it induces the death of the microorganism.

The results indicate that liriodenine is a promising antifungal compound. However, further studies are required in animal models in order to evaluate the efficacy and safety of this compound. After that, the possibility of treating human infections must be evaluated.

To read the article, acess

VINCHE, A. D. L. et al. Antifungal activity of liriodenine on agents of systemic mycoses, with emphasis on the genus Paracoccidioides. J. Venom. Anim. Toxins incl. Trop. Dis [online]. 2020, vol.26 [viewed 20 November 2020] http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/1678-9199-jvatitd-2020-0023. Available from: http://ref.scielo.org/67fd8n.

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Currículo Lattes – Adriele Dandara Levorato Vinche: http://lattes.cnpq.br/6363090645820406

Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu FMB/Unesp: https://www.fmb.unesp.br/