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Jaqueline Maria Siqueira Ferreira

Bio: Jaqueline Maria Siqueira Ferreira is an academic researcher from Universidade Federal de São João del-Rei. The author has contributed to research in topics: Antimicrobial & Dengue virus. The author has an hindex of 13, co-authored 69 publications receiving 416 citations.

Papers published on a yearly basis

Papers
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In conclusion, statins have potent antifungal activity in vitro, but the therapeutic effect in vivo is restricted to their anti-inflammatory activity.

37 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is shown that the chalcone 12 is a potent anti-Candida agent in vitro beyond of contribute to improve the fungal infection in a model of CVV, but it showed low selectivity and high toxicity, suggesting molecular modifications to minimize these proprieties.
Abstract: Vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) affects millions of women around the world every year. Candida albicans is the most frequently isolated pathogen in women and its rapid ability to develop resistance to first and second line therapies has boosted the search for new and effective antifungal agents. In this study, we show the in vitro anti-Candida activity of fifteen synthetic chalcone analogs and their antifungal potential in an in vivo model of VVC. Chalcone 12 showed potent antifungal effects, being able to inhibit the growth of Candida spp. at a concentration of 15.6 µg mL−1. In addition, mechanism of action studies have indicated the ergosterol fungal membrane as the target of this compound. Despite a considerable antifungal activity, the chalcone 12 showed high cytotoxicity in kidney cells lineages. Moreover, this compound was able to reduce Candida-associated virulence, impairing yeast–hyphal transition in C. albicans. An in vivo model of VVC showed that chalcone 12 significantly reduces the fungal load. Taken together, these findings showed that the chalcone 12 is a potent anti-Candida agent in vitro beyond of contribute to improve the fungal infection in a model of CVV. However, it showed low selectivity and high toxicity, suggesting molecular modifications to minimize these proprieties.

34 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A structure-based virtual screening of 1861 Food and Administration approved drugs available in DrugBank by the selection and docking validation of crystal structure of ZIKV NS2B-NS3 protease (PDB ID 5H4I) using Glide and DOCK 6 software indicates great stability of chlorcyclizine in protease binding site, suggesting the repurposing of chlorcyizine as a promising finding in anti-ZIKV drugs development.
Abstract: The NS2B-NS3 protease has been identified as an attractive target for drug development against Zika virus (ZIKV) and combined drug repurposing and structure-based virtual screening has improved the development of antiviral drugs. In this study, we performed a structure-based virtual screening of 1861 Food and Administration (FDA) approved drugs available in DrugBank by the selection and docking validation of crystal structure of ZIKV NS2B-NS3 protease (PDB ID 5H4I ) using Glide and DOCK 6 software. The antihistaminic chlorcyclizine (Grid score -24.8 kcal/mol) exhibited the most promising interaction with NS2B-NS3 protease in comparison to crystallography ligand (Grid score -15.6 kcal/mol) by interaction to Tyr161 by hydrophobic interactions in the binding site of NS2B-NS3 which is recognized as an important amino acid in substrate molecular recognition. Cytotoxicity and global antiviral activity assay in Vero cells by MTT method showed that chlorcyclizine reduced the ZIKV induced cytopathic effect (EC50 of 69.0 ± 7.3 μM and SI = 1.9), and explicit molecular dynamics simulations implemented on a NAMD program indicated great stability of chlorcyclizine in protease binding site, suggesting the repurposing of chlorcyclizine as a promising finding in anti-ZIKV drug development.

32 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is suggested that 7-hydroxycoumarin has important biological activities in vivo and in vitro and is not toxic under the evaluated circumstances, which demonstrates its large potential for pharmacological use.

30 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Results indicates that PAC binds to viral and non-cellular elements and may inactivate the MAYV, and the inactivation occurs before infection or when the virus reaches the extracellular environment from the 2nd cycle of infection that could block its progression cell-to-cell or to tissues not yet infected.

23 citations


Cited by
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The vast range of review and research articles that have reported on the anti-inflammatory effects of extracts and/or pure compounds derived from natural products, pinpoints some interesting traditionally used medicinal plants that were not investigated yet.
Abstract: This article presents highlights of the published literature regarding the anti-inflammatory activities of natural products. Many review articles were published in this regard, however, most of them have presented this important issue from a regional, limited perspective. This paper summarizes the vast range of review and research articles that have reported on the anti-inflammatory effects of extracts and/or pure compounds derived from natural products. Moreover, this review pinpoints some interesting traditionally used medicinal plants that were not investigated yet.

258 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Careful and rigorous validation of these assays and their cost-effectiveness will be needed, however, prior to their adoption in support of policy decisions for national public health programs aimed at the control and elimination of schistosomiasis.
Abstract: Schistosomiasis is a major neglected tropical disease that afflicts more than 240 million people, including many children and young adults, in the tropics and subtropics. The disease is characterized by chronic infections with significant residual morbidity and is of considerable public health importance, with substantial socioeconomic impacts on impoverished communities. Morbidity reduction and eventual elimination through integrated intervention measures are the focuses of current schistosomiasis control programs. Precise diagnosis of schistosome infections, in both mammalian and snail intermediate hosts, will play a pivotal role in achieving these goals. Nevertheless, despite extensive efforts over several decades, the search for sensitive and specific diagnostics for schistosomiasis is ongoing. Here we review the area, paying attention to earlier approaches but emphasizing recent developments in the search for new diagnostics for schistosomiasis with practical applications in the research laboratory, the clinic, and the field. Careful and rigorous validation of these assays and their cost-effectiveness will be needed, however, prior to their adoption in support of policy decisions for national public health programs aimed at the control and elimination of schistosomiasis.

221 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The structure-activity relationship (SAR) is discussed for further rational development of 1,2,3-triazole hybrids with higher potency against both drug-sensitive and drug-resistant pathogens.

158 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This review focuses on various naturally occurring flavonoids and their antifungal activities, modes of action, and synergetic use in combination with conventional drugs.
Abstract: The prevalence of fungal infections is growing at an alarming pace and the pathogenesis is still not clearly understood. Recurrence of these fungal diseases is often due to their evolutionary avoidance of antifungal resistance. The development of suitable novel antimicrobial agents for fungal diseases continues to be a major problem in the current clinical field. Hence, it is urgently necessary to develop surrogate agents that are more effective than conventional available drugs. Among the remarkable innovations from earlier investigations on natural-drugs, flavonoids are a group of plant-derived substances capable of promoting many valuable effects on humans. The identification of flavonoids with possible antifungal effects at small concentrations or in synergistic combinations could help to overcome this problem. A combination of flavonoids with available drugs is an excellent approach to reduce the side effects and toxicity. This review focuses on various naturally occurring flavonoids and their antifungal activities, modes of action, and synergetic use in combination with conventional drugs.

143 citations