Malaria is one of the most important tropical diseases and mainly affects populations living in developing countries. Reduced sensitivity of Plasmodium sp. to formerly recommended antimalarial drugs places an increasing burden on malaria control programs as well as on national health systems in endemic countries. The present study aims to evaluate the antimalarial activity of betulinic acid and its derivative compounds, betulonic acid, betulinic acid acetate, betulinic acid methyl ester, and betulinic acid methyl ester acetate. These substances showed antiplasmodial activity against chloroquine-resistant Plasmodium falciparum parasites in vitro, with IC(50) values of 9.89, 10.01, 5.99, 51.58, and 45.79 microM, respectively. Mice infected with Plasmodium berghei and treated with betulinic acid acetate had a dose-dependent reduction of parasitemia. Our results indicate that betulinic acid and its derivative compounds are candidates for the development of new antimalarial drugs.

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RESUMO:Diante da problemática da resistência microbiana as pesquisas apontam para o uso de novos antibióticos que sejam efi cazes ante os patógenos emergentes. Este trabalho objetiva testar frente a bactérias gram-positivas (Staphylococcus aureus), bactérias gram-negativas (Escherichia coli e Pseudomonas aeruginosa) e fungos leveduriformes (Candida albicans), a atividade antimicrobiana e a concentração inibitória mínima (CIM) de fi toconstituintes de Ocotea duckei Vattimo, do lapachol, seus derivados semi-sintéticos, -lapachona, -nor-lapachona, -lapachona, -nor-lapachona, -3-iodo-lapachona e -3-iodo-lapachona, assim como 07 derivados nitrogenados obtidos a partir do lapachol por semi-síntese e de imidas cíclicas similares ao alcalóide fi lantimida. Os resultados obtidos estimulam o aprofundamento dos estudos para algumas dessas substâncias a exemplo do lapachol e seus análogos que demonstraram atividade antimicrobiana, de modo que os produtos que se apresentaram ativos para S. aureus, foram lapachol e o extrato etanólico de Ocotea duckei, para E. coli foi a iangambina e para a Candida albicans foram as imidas. As demais substâncias não apresentaram atividade antimicrobiana para as cepas testadas.Unitermos: Atividade antimicrobiana, fi toconstituintes, produtos de síntese, iangambina, lapachol, bactérias, leveduras.ABSTRACT: "In vitro antimicrobial activity and determination of the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of natural and synthetic compounds against bacteria and leveduriform fungi". Regarding the problem of microbial resistance, the researches point to the use of new antibiotic which can be active against the emergent pathogens. This work aims to test the activity against Gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus), Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli e Pseudomonas aeruginosa) and leveduriform fungi (Candida albicans), and also the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) of the constituent of Ocotea duckei Vattimo, lapachol and its synthetic derivatives -lapachone, -nor-lapachone, -lapachone, -nor-lapachone, -3-iodinlapachone and -3-iodin-lapachone, as well as seven nitrogenated derivatives of lapachol obtained through semi synthesis. The achieved results stimulate the deepening of the studies for some of theses substances such as lapachol and its analogous which demonstrated antimicrobial activity. The substances which were active against S. aureus, were lapachol and the ethanolic extract of Ocotea duckei Vattimo, against Escherichia coli iangambin and against C. albicans the imides. The other substances did not show any activity against the tested bacteria.

A series of synthetic N-phenylpyrazole arylhydrazone compounds, rationally designed as mixed-hybrid isosteres of two known inhibitors of prostaglandin synthase and 5-lipoxygenase enzymes, BW-755c and CBS-1108, has been investigated for anti-inflammatory activity in the carrageenan-induced pleurisy model in rats. The compounds have different oxygenated substituent groups in the aryl group of the hydrazone framework to ensure a different range of redox properties. A new arylhydrazone derivative, 2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-(4-nitro-3-methyl-N-phenylpyrazol-5-yl-hydr azonomethyl)phenol, was also synthesized and tested for anti-inflammatory activity. Although all the compounds significantly inhibited (by 30-90%) neutrophil accumulation in the pleural cavity, there was great variability in the anti-oedematogenic effect of the compounds (3-96%). 5-(4'-Hydroxy-3'-methoxybenzylidene)hydrazone-3-methyl-4-nitrop henylpyrazole was the most active compound in this series; it had a remarkable antiinflammatory profile, almost blocking both assays. In contrast, the compound with a 2,6-di-tert-butylated hydroxybenzene ring on the hydrazone group inhibited neutrophil migration only. These results will be useful for further structure-activity relationship studies devoted to improving the dual prostaglandin synthase-5-lipoxygenase activity of these derivatives and determining the minimum structural requirements necessary for this activity.

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