As a part of search for bioactive natural products from the plants in collaboration with the Natural Products Discovery Institute (NPDI), ten plant extracts were investigated for their antiplasmodial activity against Plasmodium falciparum Dd2 strain. Twenty-eight compounds were isolated, and twelve of them were new compounds. The structures of all these compounds were determined by analysis of their mass spectrometric, 1D and 2D NMR, and ECD spectrum. Among these natural products, there were three compounds with good antiplasmodial activity, trichospirolide A with an IC50 value of 1.5 μM, malleastrumolide A with an IC50 value of 2.7 μM, and (+)-lariciresinol with an IC50 value of 3.7 μM. In addition to the studies of drug delivery of bioactive natural product, doxorubicin, a novel thiolated doxorubicin analog were designed and synthesized. Its analogs and PEG stabilizing ligands were then conjugated to gold nanoparticles and the resulting Au-Dox constructs were evaluated by TEM. The release of native drug can be achieved by the action of reducing agents, and that reductive drug release gave the cleanest drug release. / Ph. D. / Natural products from plants have been used as medicines for a very long history, with the best known example of antimalarial drugs. There were two famous antimalarial natural products used as medicines. The first one is an alkaloid, quinine which was isolated from cinchona bark in 1817. Its analog chloroquine was discovered in 1934 and was very effective. But in 1950’s the Plasmodium parasite developed resistance and chloroquine resistant plasmodia were widely spread all over the world. Today, the major antimalarial drug is a sesquiterpenoid, artemisinin which was isolated from artemisia in 1972. Unfortunately, the first report on drug resistance to artemisinin derivative have appeared in 2010. In the future, artemisinin may be useless. So we need to discover new antimalarial natural products. This dissertation focuses on the isolation and structural elucidation of fourteen new natural products with potential antimalarial activities from ten plant extracts.

Orientadora: Profª Drª Mirela Inês de Sairre / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal do ABC. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciência e Tecnologia/Química, 2016. / In 1999, the natural product (-)-licarina A neolignan was isolated. Neolignans comprise a class of natural products with a great diversity of chemical structures and pharmacological activities, it is formed by coupling two units phenylpropanoids. This natural product has promising biological activity against the Trypanosoma cruzi and on the results, structure-activity relationship studies indicated the importance of obtaining new neolignans for investigation. This work describes the synthesis of neolignan (±)-licarina A through the oxidative coupling reaction catalyzed by the enzyme horseradish peroxidase (horseradish peroxidase - HRP). The reactions were performed using a methodology focused on "Green Chemistry", using green coconut water (Cocos nucifera L.) as a natural source of HRP enzyme. The phenylpropanoids substrates, isoeugenol, ferulic acid and nitrostyrene were prepared. Initially extraction was performed eugenol from clove, followed by isomerization in methanol and catalytic amount of palladium chloride (PdCl2) for obtaining isoeugenol in 90% yield. The Knoevenagel reaction of vanillin and malonic acid afforded the ferulic acid in 72% yield. The phenylpropanoid nitrostyrene was obtained from 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde, ammonium acetate and nitromethane, using micro-wave with 70% yield. Then the compounds isoeugenol, ferulic acid and nitrostyrene were subjected to oxidative coupling, using hydrogen peroxide and coconut water as a source of HRP. In all reactions, coconut has been opened for the use of water at the time of the experiments, and the end of the process, excess water was removed by lyophilization, which afforded minor amount of solvent for extraction. The results were promising in the search for new molecules obtained by this methodology. Neolignans were obtained with gross revenues of 30%, 85% and 78%, respectively, and will later be submitted to biological tests in order to evaluate the trypanocidal activity. / Em 1999, o produto natural (-)-licarina A, uma neolignana, foi isolada. As neolignanas compreendem uma classe de produtos naturais com uma grande diversidade de estruturas químicas e atividades farmacológicas, sendo formadas pelo acoplamento de duas unidades fenilpropanoides. Este produto natural apresentou atividade biológica promissora frente ao Trypanosoma cruzi e, diante dos resultados, estudos de relação estrutura-atividade indicaram a importância de obtenção de novas neolignanas para serem investigadas. Este trabalho descreve a síntese da neolignana (±)-licarina A através da reação de acoplamento oxidativo catalisada pela enzima peroxidase de raiz forte (horseradish peroxidase ¿ HRP). As reações foram realizadas empregando uma metodologia voltada para a "Química Verde", utilizando a água de coco verde (Cocos nucifera L.) como fonte natural da enzima HRP. Os substratos fenilpropanoides, isoeugenol, ácido ferúlico e nitroestireno foram preparados. Inicialmente foi realizada a extração do eugenol a partir do cravo-da-índia, seguida de isomerização em metanol e quantidade catalítica de cloreto de paládio (PdCl2), para obtenção do isoeugenol com 90% de rendimento. A reação de Knoevenagel entre a vanilina e o ácido malônico permitiu obter o ácido ferúlico com 72% de rendimento. O fenilpropanoide nitroestireno foi obtido a partir do 4-hidroxibenzaldeído, acetato de amônio e nitrometano, utilizando micro ondas com 70% de rendimento. Em seguida, os compostos isoeugenol, ácido ferúlico e nitroestireno, foram submetidos ao acoplamento oxidativo, utilizando peróxido de hidrogênio e água de coco como fonte de HRP. Em todas as reações, o coco foi aberto para a utilização da água no momento da realização dos experimentos e, ao final do processo, o excesso de água foi removido por liofilização, o que proporcionou menor quantidade de solvente para extração. Os resultados mostraram-se promissores para a busca de novas moléculas obtidas por esta metodologia. As neolignanas foram obtidas com rendimentos brutos de 30%, 85% e 78%, respectivamente e posteriormente, serão submetidas aos ensaios biológicos com o intuito de avaliar a atividade tripanocida.