Title:A UBI 31-38 Peptide-coumarin Conjugate: Photophysical Features, Imaging Tracking and Synergism with Amphotericin B Against Cryptococcus
Volume: 18
Issue: 2
Author(s): Soraya M.Z.M.D. Ferreira, Hellem C. Carneiro, Rosemeire B. Alves, Ana Carolina S. Batista, Eufranio N. da Silva Junior, Gleiston G. Dias, Jarbas M. Resende, Daniel A. Santos, Debora L. Oliveira, Marcio L. Rodrigues and Rossimiriam P. Freitas*
Affiliation:
- Departamento de Quimica, Instituto de Ciencias Exatas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte,Brazil
Keywords:
UBI 31-38, peptide-coumarin conjugate, fluorescent, anticryptococcal activity, interaction studies, confocal scanning
laser microscopy.
Abstract: Cryptococcosis is a fungal disease of global significance for which new effective treatments
are needed. The conjugation of the synthetic antimicrobial peptide fragment UBI 31-38 to a
coumarin derivative showed to be an effective approach for the design of a novel anticryptococcal
agent. In addition to antifungal activity, the conjugate exhibited intense fluorescence, which could be
valuable for mechanistic investigations of this molecule. In this work, we studied the photophysical
properties of the conjugate and confocal scanning laser microscopy was used to inspect the distribution
of the peptide-coumarin conjugate in Cryptococcus cell. The synergism of this compound with
amphotericin B or fluconazole against C. gattii and C. neoformans strains was also investigated. The
results indicated that the fluorescent conjugate alone as well as its combination with amphotericin B
are promising tools against cryptococcosis.
