Brazilian Plant Shows Promise Against Deadly Tropical Disease Leishmaniasis todayheadline

In an advance for neglected tropical disease research, scientists have developed a promising new compound derived from a Brazilian tree that could lead to better treatments for visceral leishmaniasis, a devastating parasitic disease that claims up to 50,000 lives annually.

The compound, synthesized from a substance found in the canela-seca tree (Nectandra leucantha), successfully targeted and killed the Leishmania infantum parasite in laboratory studies while leaving healthy host cells unharmed. Most remarkably, the modified molecule remained active in test animals’ systems for 21 hours – a dramatic improvement over earlier versions that were cleared from the body in minutes.

“If we don’t invest in combating this disease, the rich countries where it isn’t endemic certainly won’t,” said André Gustavo Tempone of Brazil’s Butantan Institute, who led the research. His team’s findings were published in the journal Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy.

Visceral leishmaniasis primarily affects impoverished communities across Brazil, East Africa, and India. The disease, spread by sandfly bites, causes severe fever, weight loss, organ enlargement, and anemia. Without treatment, it is almost always fatal. Yet pharmaceutical companies have shown little interest in developing new therapies for this neglected tropical disease.

From Tree to Treatment: Engineering a Better Drug

The research team’s journey began with dehydrodieugenol B, a natural compound isolated from N. leucantha by João Lago at the Federal University of the ABC. Working with Edward Anderson at the University of Oxford, they used this as a blueprint to synthesize and test variations of the molecule.

Their first modified version showed promise, proving four times more potent than the original compound. However, initial animal trials revealed a major hurdle – the substance disappeared from the rats’ systems in less than ten minutes.

“The fact that the substance circulated for such a short time in the rats’ bodies suggested that the ensuing stages of the research would fail,” Tempone explained. “It became clear that the substance wouldn’t produce the expected results.”

Undeterred, the researchers continued refining the molecule through several rounds of chemical optimization. The breakthrough came during work conducted by doctoral student Maiara Amaral, who collaborated with Oxford University during an internship. Their final version achieved a mean plasma half-life of 21 hours – lasting 100 times longer in the body than their first attempt.

How It Works

Laboratory studies revealed that the compound attacks the parasite by triggering a fatal cascade of events within its cells. It causes an irreversible collapse of the organism’s energy production system through calcium disruption, while simultaneously reducing inflammation in host cells – a crucial benefit for treatment.

The research represents a potential new weapon against a disease that affects 12 million people worldwide, with 90% of cases concentrated in some of the world’s poorest regions. Between 20,000 and 50,000 people die from visceral leishmaniasis each year, though experts believe only 25-45% of cases are reported to health authorities.

Looking Ahead

While the results are promising, Tempone cautions that much work remains before any new drug could reach patients. The next step involves testing the compound’s effectiveness in animals infected with leishmaniasis to determine optimal dosing.

The development underscores the untapped potential of Brazil’s biodiversity in medical research. With one of the world’s richest arrays of plant life, the country offers a vast natural laboratory for discovering new drug candidates – if researchers can secure the resources to study them.

The research was supported by São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) and involved collaboration between institutions in Brazil, the United Kingdom, and Portugal.