First Baseline of Circulating Genotypic Lineages of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Patients from the Brazilian Borders with Argentina and Paraguay

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Obtenção do pró-fármaco recíproco de isoniazida e metronidazol potencialmente ativo contra Mycobacterium tuberculosis

A tuberculose é uma doença que já atingiu milhares de pessoas no mundo e ainda hoje representa uma ameaça à saúde humana, principalmente a partir da descoberta do vírus HIV. Os fármacos disponíveis no mercado não têm suprimido as necessidades, pois exigem longos períodos de tratamento. Este trabalho teve como objetivo o planejamento e a síntese de um novo composto potencialmente ativo para Mycobacterium tuberculosis na forma latente. O planejamento levou em consideração o princípio da latenciação para a obtenção de um pró-fármaco recíproco derivado de isoniazida e metronidazol. O metronidazol, devido à sua ação em bactérias anaeróbicas poderia apresentar atividade nos bacilos que possivelmente sobrevivam durante o processo de necrose caseosa. A obtenção do pró-fármaco foi realizada através da transformação funcional do metronidazol e posterior acoplamento com isoniazida. O trabalho descreve alguns procedimentos e dificuldades encontradas para obtenção do pró-fármaco. Os resultados sugerem a formação do produto, porém, análises de identificação são necessárias para a confirmação

Esteroide e Triterpenos de espécies de Qualea: Bioatividade sobre Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Esteroide e Triterpenos de espécies de Qualea: bioatividade sobre Mycobacterium tuberculosis

The chloroform extract of bark of the tropical tree Qualea parviflora (Vochysiaceae) was fractionated by column chromatography on silica gel, yielding triterpenes (lupeol, lupenone, betulin, epi-betulinic acid and friedelin) and a steroid (β-sitosterol). β-sitosterol, lupenone and lupeol were also identified in Q. grandiflora and Q. multiflora, while friedelin was detected only in Q. Multiflora, by means of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The anti-Mycobacterium tuberculosis activity of the chloroform extract and isolated compounds was assayed by MABA and MIC values ranged from 250.0 to 31.2 µg/mL. This study is the first to investigate the chemistry and antitubercular activity of apolar compounds from Qualea species.

Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) in tapirs (Tapirus terrestris) withMycobacterium tuberculosis

This paper describes the in vivo Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL)technique by endoscopy in tapirs (Tapirus terrestris) with clinicalsigns of tuberculosis. The technique was performed in two tapirs, male and female,from Curitiba Zoo, Paraná, Brazil. A flexible endoscope and a polyethylene catheterwere used after the chemical restraint of the animals. For BAL technique, 60mL ofsaline 0.9% were infused with a polyethylene catheter, introduced by the endoscope'working channel, and 15mL of BAL were recovered, analyzed and submitted tocytocentrifugation. Slides were stained by Papanicolaou, periodic acid-Schiff (PAS)and Ziehl-Neelsen methods contained high quantity of inflammatory cells on lightmicroscopy (macrophages 27.5%, lymphocytes 0.5%, neutrophis 67% and eosinophis 5%).BAL samples were submitted to culture, bacilloscopy and PCR and were negative forboth animals. Based on this study, it was concluded that the bronchoalveolar lavagetechnique in tapirs is feasible, simple, noninvasive, practical and fast, providingan important clinical information in vivo regarding the functionalstatus of the lower respiratory tract.

Ruthenium(II) complexes with hydroxypyridinecarboxylates: screening potential metallodrugs against Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Cytokine polymorphisms, their influence and levels in Brazilian patients with pulmonary tuberculosis during antituberculosis treatment

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Tuberculosis: challenges to improve the treatment

Tuberculosis is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Current treatment has several challenges including multi-drug resistance, extensively drug-resistance and HIV co-infection. Problems related to patients, treatment and health care system also contributes negatively to this panel. This review summarizes the main obstacles to treat tuberculosis and discuss several strategies to improve the treatment.