Researchers test Amazon plants against malaria
Researchers at the Amazon Laboratory of Active Principles (LAPAAM) of the National Amazon Research Institute (INPA) have successfully isolated six substances from Amazon plants found in Brazil that can kill malaria parasites. The results achieved so far are a major breakthrough towards developing drugs against the disease.
The findings are important because they show the pharmacological potential of the Amazon region
The study resulted in an article which has just been approved for publication in Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, a prestigious scientific journal in biotechnology, pharmacy and chemistry, according to Luiz Fernando Rocha, in charge of LAPAAM's pharmacology department.
Laboratory coordinator Adrian Martin Pohlit has been studying plants that local Amazon residents use against malaria since 2000. LAPAAM researchers have isolated 15 bioactive substances obtained from about 40 species. As Luiz Fernando Rocha explains,“We prepared plant extracts from selected plants and analyzed their chemical properties. Then we proceeded to the pharmacological studies. Even with the population using it and saying it's effective, we need to isolate the active principle and prove its effects. And we did it.”
The most promising substances include 4-nerolidylcatechol (4-NC) obtained from Piper peltatum, a medicinal plant popularly known as Santa Maria or monkey's hand (or locally as caapeba-do-norte or pariparoba). It can be administered as tea to treat malaria, digestive problems, urinary tract infections, fever, insect bites and stings, among other uses.
There are no set dates as to when the medicine will be made available as a drug – it now depends on the pharmaceuticals industry's interest in producing it. But important steps in the process have been completed. “In order to develop the drug, you have to test it on parasites in vitro, then in animals, and establish its toxicity levels. All of these tests have been completed. The substance is not toxic to humans, it merely kills the parasite,” he said.
The pharmacist says the findings are important because they show the pharmacological potential of the Amazon region and the potential for using natural resources in a sustainable way that adds value to the forest. Moreover, it raises awareness of research in the Amazon, which still has to make do on meagre resources.
Translated by Mayra Borges
Fonte: Researchers test Amazon plants against malaria
