Data · dataset · 2026
4‑O‑Allyl Derivative of Natural Licarin A Exhibits Selective In Vitro Activity against Toxoplasma gondii Tachyzoites
Listed in ZivaHub and Deakin Research Online and DMU Figshare — shown once because both records carry DOI 10.1021/acsomega.6c05944.s001
Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular protozoan responsible for toxoplasmosis, a widespread parasitic disease that poses a serious health threat, especially to immunocompromised patients and pregnant women.
Description
Current therapeutic options remain unsatisfactory because they are associated with adverse effects and do not eliminate latent infections, emphasizing the need for new antitoxoplasmic agents. In the present study, the natural neolignan (−)-licarin A (<b>1</b>), isolated from the Brazilian species Nectandra oppositifolia, together with three semisynthetic derivatives, 4-<i>O</i>-methyl (<b>1a</b>), 4-<i>O</i>-acetyl (<b>1b</b>), and 4-<i>O</i>-allyl (<b>1c</b>), were investigated for their in vitro activity against <i>T. gondii</i> tachyzoites.
Antiparasitic activity (EC<sub>50</sub>) was determined using a β-galactosidase-based assay, while cytotoxicity (CC<sub>50</sub>) toward Human Foreskin Fibroblasts (HFF) was assessed by the resazurin assay. Among the tested compounds, derivative <b>1c</b> exhibited the highest potency (EC<sub>50</sub> = 3.49 μM) and lowest cytotoxicity (CC<sub>50</sub> = 120.10 μM), resulting in the highest selectivity index (SI = 34.41). <i>In silico</i> ADMET analysis predicted favorable gastrointestinal absorption and blood–brain barrier permeability for all licarin derivatives.
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Mechanistic assays demonstrated that licarin A derivatives <b>1a</b>–<b>1c</b> did not compromise parasite plasma membrane integrity but significantly reduced mitochondrial membrane potential, supporting an intracellular mode of action. Further functional analyses revealed that compound <b>1c</b> inhibited intracellular parasite proliferation in a concentration-dependent manner and maintained significant antiparasitic activity after drug removal only at the highest concentration tested, without affecting parasite invasion or intracellular replication following pretreatment of extracellular tachyzoites.
Overall, these findings identify the 4-<i>O</i>-allyl derivative of licarin A as the most selective compound of this series and provide additional evidence that semisynthetic modification of the licarin scaffold represents a promising strategy for discovering new therapeutic candidates against <i>T. gondii</i>.
Links
Where it is published
- DOI doi.org/10.1021/acsomega.6c05944.s001 ↗
DOI / persistent id · from zivahub uct ac za
Catalogue records · 1
- OAI-PMH record api.figshare.com/v2/oai?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=oai_dc&identifier=oai%3Af… ↗
metadata API · from zivahub uct ac za
Topics
- From keywords
- Biochemistry and cell biology · Biochemistry and cell biology · Biochemistry and cell biology · Chemistry · Chemistry · Chemistry · Earth & Environmental Science · Earth & Environmental Science · Earth & Environmental Science · Infectious diseases · Infectious diseases · Infectious diseases · Life Sciences · Life Sciences · Life Sciences · Medicine & Health · Medicine & Health · Medicine & Health
- Inferred from text
- Disease 75%
Provenance · 3 source records, 24 field assertions
| Source | Key | Last seen | Raw |
|---|---|---|---|
| ZivaHub | oai:figshare.com:article/34038012 | 10 d ago | JSON v1 |
| Deakin Research Online | oai:figshare.com:article/34038012 | 10 d ago | JSON v1 |
| DMU Figshare | oai:figshare.com:article/34038012 | 10 d ago | JSON v1 |
| Field | Assertion | Extractor | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| access_level | source · zivahub uct ac za | connector:zivahub_uct_ac_za@1.0.0 | |
| concepts[disease].local:disease:disease | enrichment · zivahub uct ac za | keyword-concept-rules@1.0.0 | title+description (75%) |
| concepts[field].anzsrc:field:320211 | mapping · dro deakin edu au | vocabulary-mapper@1.0.0 | keywords['Infectious Diseases'] |
| concepts[field].anzsrc:field:320211 | mapping · zivahub uct ac za | vocabulary-mapper@1.0.0 | keywords['Infectious Diseases'] |
| concepts[field].anzsrc:field:320211 | mapping · figshare dmu ac uk | vocabulary-mapper@1.0.0 | keywords['Infectious Diseases'] |
| concepts[field].anzsrc:group:3101 | mapping · dro deakin edu au | vocabulary-mapper@1.0.0 | keywords['Cell Biology'] |
| concepts[field].anzsrc:group:3101 | mapping · figshare dmu ac uk | vocabulary-mapper@1.0.0 | keywords['Cell Biology'] |
| concepts[field].anzsrc:group:3101 | mapping · zivahub uct ac za | vocabulary-mapper@1.0.0 | keywords['Cell Biology'] |
| concepts[field].local:field:chemistry | mapping · zivahub uct ac za | connector:zivahub_uct_ac_za@1.0.0 | |
| concepts[field].local:field:chemistry | mapping · figshare dmu ac uk | connector:figshare_dmu_ac_uk@1.0.0 | |
| concepts[field].local:field:chemistry | mapping · dro deakin edu au | connector:dro_deakin_edu_au@1.0.0 | |
| concepts[field].local:field:earth-environmental | mapping · dro deakin edu au | connector:dro_deakin_edu_au@1.0.0 | |
| concepts[field].local:field:earth-environmental | mapping · zivahub uct ac za | connector:zivahub_uct_ac_za@1.0.0 | |
| concepts[field].local:field:earth-environmental | mapping · figshare dmu ac uk | connector:figshare_dmu_ac_uk@1.0.0 | |
| concepts[field].local:field:life-sciences | mapping · dro deakin edu au | connector:dro_deakin_edu_au@1.0.0 | |
| concepts[field].local:field:life-sciences | mapping · figshare dmu ac uk | connector:figshare_dmu_ac_uk@1.0.0 | |
| concepts[field].local:field:life-sciences | mapping · zivahub uct ac za | connector:zivahub_uct_ac_za@1.0.0 | |
| concepts[field].local:field:medicine-health | mapping · dro deakin edu au | connector:dro_deakin_edu_au@1.0.0 | |
| concepts[field].local:field:medicine-health | mapping · zivahub uct ac za | connector:zivahub_uct_ac_za@1.0.0 | |
| concepts[field].local:field:medicine-health | mapping · figshare dmu ac uk | connector:figshare_dmu_ac_uk@1.0.0 | |
| description | source · zivahub uct ac za | connector:zivahub_uct_ac_za@1.0.0 | /metadata/dc/description |
| license | source · zivahub uct ac za | connector:zivahub_uct_ac_za@1.0.0 | /metadata/dc/rights |
| publication_date | source · zivahub uct ac za | connector:zivahub_uct_ac_za@1.0.0 | |
| title | source · zivahub uct ac za | connector:zivahub_uct_ac_za@1.0.0 | /metadata/dc/title |