Evidence mapPaperPMID 42044355Full record

ArticleGenetics and molecular biology2026

All you need is fungi: Exploring secondary metabolites as a source of novel amoebicidal agents.

Maria Eduarda Deluca João, Deisiane Santos Moura, Alexandra Azevedo Rocha, Matheus Lopes Braga, Henrique R M Antoniolli, Mauren Larangeira Ramos, Sofia Dietrich Loch, Charley Christian Staats

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Genetics and molecular biology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Maria Eduarda Deluca JoãoUniversidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Centro de Biotecnologia, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Celular e Molecular (PPGBCM), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0393-4899
Deisiane Santos MouraUniversidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Centro de Biotecnologia, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Celular e Molecular (PPGBCM), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3724-6226
Alexandra Azevedo RochaUniversidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Centro de Biotecnologia, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Celular e Molecular (PPGBCM), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0006-9658-5833
Matheus Lopes BragaUniversidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Centro de Biotecnologia, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Celular e Molecular (PPGBCM), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0004-6562-1649
Henrique R M AntoniolliUniversidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Instituto de Biociências, Departamento de Biologia Molecular e Biotecnologia, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6747-3641
Mauren Larangeira RamosUniversidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Centro de Biotecnologia, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Celular e Molecular (PPGBCM), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1505-0388
Sofia Dietrich LochUniversidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Instituto de Biociências, Departamento de Biologia Molecular e Biotecnologia, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0003-6735-054X
Charley Christian StaatsUniversidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Centro de Biotecnologia, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Celular e Molecular (PPGBCM), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2433-6903

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Free-living amoebae (FLAs) of the genus Acanthamoeba are opportunistic protozoa found in diverse environments. They can cause granulomatous amoebic encephalitis, especially in immunocompromised individuals, and Acanthamoeba keratitis, a painful corneal infection frequently associated with contact lens wearers. Effective treatments for Acanthamoeba infections are limited, with nitroimidazoles as the main pharmacological option, a class of drugs generally associated with side effects. Given the limited availability of vaccines and the low efficacy of existing drugs, the search for new therapeutic strategies is crucial. Interactions between fungi and predatory amoebae have driven the production of defensive fungal secondary metabolites (SMs) with potent amoebicidal properties. The evolutionary pressure from predatory amoebae has equipped fungi, particularly from the Aspergillus, Beauveria, and Fusarium genera, to produce a wide variety of defensive bioactive compounds, including non-ribosomal peptides, polyketides, and terpenes. Some examples of fungal-derived SMs include cephalosporins, mycophenolic acid, griseofulvin, pleuromutilins and lovastatin. Furthermore, gliotoxin and trypacidin from Aspergillus fumigatus exhibit amoebicidal activity by impairing key protozoan functions like phagocytosis. These findings highlight the potential of fungal SMs as novel amoebicidal agents. Exploring fungal biodiversity could lead to the discovery of innovative medicines, harnessing natural compounds to combat infections caused by Acanthamoeba species and other protozoan pathogens.

Identifiers

PMID42044355
PMCPMC13126256

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.