Researchers synthesize anti-malarial molecules found in a fungus in Nunavut

The solution to the problem of increasing drug resistance of malaria parasites could come from the North, according to a study published in Chemical Communications by researchers from Université Laval and the Research Center of the CHU de Québec. The team was able to synthesize molecules found in a microscopic fungus in Nunavut and demonstrate their in vitro efficacy against the parasite responsible for malaria.

The researchers observed that the molecules of a microscopic fungus discovered in 2017 in sediments of Frobisher Bay, Nunavut, showed structural similarities with known antimalarial compounds. However, only very small amounts of these molecules, called mortiamides, were present in fungi. "To study the effectiveness of these molecules against malaria, we needed more, and the only way to get more was to synthesize them," explained Normand Voyer, head of the study. and professor of chemistry at the Faculty of Science and Engineering of Laval University. We were able to obtain sufficient quantities of mortiamides thanks to a new approach developed in our laboratory. "

Once this step was completed, Dr. Voyer asked Dave Richard, Malaria Expert, professor at the Faculty of Medicine of Laval University, to evaluate the activity of mortiamides against Plasmodium falciparum, the parasite responsible for about 50% of all cases of malaria. "Our hypothesis was that the parasite could not resist these molecules of the North because it had never been exposed," said Professor Voyer. Tests using a common strain of the parasite and a multidrug-resistant strain gave reason to the researchers: in less than 72 hours, three of the four mortiamides halted the growth of both parasite strains.

"The antimalarial efficacy of these molecules is moderate at the moment, but our results suggest that it is possible to create badogs that, at lower doses, would be more effective against the parasite," the statement said. Professor Voyer. "In addition, since we can now synthesize these molecules, it will be easier to determine their mode of action.Once we understand why they are toxic to the parasite, we can develop better targeted drugs. "