Natural Products Chemistry

Group Leader
Maria J. U. Ferreira
Associate Professor with Habilitation, Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Therapeutics, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade de Lisboa
The Research
The Natural Products Chemistry group provides expertise in the identification and development of novel hit/lead-drug candidates from natural sources. Having a background in organic and medicinal chemistry, and advanced spectroscopic techniques, the isolation, structural elucidation and molecular derivatization of novel bioactive chemical scaffolds from plants are our major skills.
The research interests of the group include two main areas:
I – Cancer
Development of selective and effective P-glycoprotein (P-gp) modulators guided by in silico studies;
Discovery of compounds able to selectively kill multidrug-resistant cancer cells, overexpressing the drug efflux pump P-gp;
Development of effective apoptosis inducers;
II – Infectious diseases
Development of hit/lead compounds against infectious diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis, from African medicinal plants;
Development of efflux pump inhibitors of resistant bacteria.
Recent achievements of the Natural Products group at iMed.ULisboa.
Ongoing Projects
Source: FCT PTDC/MED-QUI/30591/2017
Title: Tackling multidrug resistance in cancer: plant-derived lead compounds as P-glycoptrotein (P-gp) and breast cancer resistant protein (BCRP) modulators and collateral sensitivity agents
PI: Maria J. U. Ferreira
Period: 2018-2021
Source: FCT-SAICTPAC/0019/2015
Title: Precision oncology by innovative therapies and technologies
PI: Cecília M. P. Rodrigues
Period: 2017-2020
Recent Most Relevant Publications
Reis MA, Ahmed OB, Spengler G, Molnár J, Lage H, Ferreira MJU. Exploring jolkinol D derivatives to overcome multidrug resistance in cancer. J Nat Prod 2017; 80: 1411-1420.
Paterna A, Kincses A, Spengler G, Mulhovo S, Molnár J, Ferreira MJU. Dregamine and tabernaemontanine derivatives as ABCB1 modulators on resistant cancer cells. Eur J Med Chem 2017; 128:247-257.
Ferreira RJ, Bonito CA, Cordeiro MDS, Ferreira MJU, Dos Santos DJVA. Structure-function relationships in ABCG2 insights from molecular dynamics simulations and molecular docking studies. Sci Rep 2017, 7: 15534
Paterna A, Gomes SE, Borralho PM, Mulhovo S, Rodrigues CM, Ferreira MJU. Vobasinyl-Iboga alkaloids from Tabernaemontana elegans: cell cycle arrest and apoptosis-inducing activity in HCT116 colon cancer cells. J Nat Prod 2016; 79: 2624-2634.
Pereira F, Madureira AM, Sancha S, Mulhovo S, Luo X, Duarte A, Ferreira MJU. Cleistochlamys kirkii chemical constituents: antibacterial activity and synergistic effects against resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains. J Ethnopharmacol 2016; 178: 180-187.
Group Members
Maria J. U. Ferreira
Group Leader
PhD Students
- David Cardoso
- Ricardo Ferreira
- Shirley Sancha
Master Students
- Cristina Silva
- João Gomes
- Sara Jogo