Nathalia da Rosa Coelho Martins

Ph.D. in Pathology from the Graduate Program in Pathology at the Universidade Federal Fluminense (UFF). Bachelor's degree in Biomedicine from UNIAN (2018), with qualifications in Clinical Analysis, Microbiology, and Health Surveillance. Since my undergraduate research internship at the Laboratory of Antibiotics, Biochemistry, Education, and Molecular Modeling (LABiEMol/UFF), I have maintained continuous academic activity. I completed a postgraduate specialization in Food Health Surveillance at UCAM (2021) and obtained a Masters degree in Pathology from UFF (2021), with the dissertation entitled "In Silico Evaluation of the Toxicological Profile and Antifungal Potential Against Candida spp. of Quinone During my Ph.D., I developed the thesis "Microbiological, Morphological, Computational, and Toxicological Analyses of Potential Antifungal Agents Against Candida , focused on investigating the antifungal potential and toxicological profiles of biomolecules, synthetic der

RESEARCH, TEACHING, or OTHER INTERESTS

Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, Microbiology (medical), Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics, Drug Discovery

Scopus Publications

Streptomyces: a natural source of anti-Candida agents
Nathália da Rosa Coelho Martins, Aldo Rodrigues da Silva, Norman Ratcliffe, Victor Gustavo Oliveira Evangelho, Helena Carla Castro, Gerry A. Quinn
Journal of Medical Microbiology, 2023
Introduction. There is an urgent need to source new compounds that can combat the current threat of serious infection caused by Candida spp. and contend with the problem of antimicrobial resistance. Gap. A synthesis of the evidence available from the current literature is needed to identify promising antifungal chemotherapeutics. Aim. To highlight anti-Candida compounds derived from Streptomyces spp. (a well-known source of antimicrobial compounds) that could translate to potential candidates for future clinical practice. Methodology. A comprehensive review was conducted across three scientific literature databases spanning a 13-year period. Results. We identified 151 compounds with anti-Candida activity. Amongst these, 40 were reported with very strong inhibitory activity, having minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) against Candida spp. of <3.5 µg ml−1, 66 compounds were considered strong inhibitors and 45 compounds exhibited moderate inhibitory potential. From an analysis of the MICs, we deduced that the actinomycin-like compounds RSP01 and RSP02 were probably the most promising anti-Candida compounds. Other antifungals of note included filipin-like compounds, which demonstrated superior inhibition to amphotericin B and activity against Candida glabrata and Candida krusei, and bafilomycin derivatives, which had substantial inhibition against Candida parapsilosis. Conclusion. It is essential to recognize the limitations inherent in the quest for new antifungals, which encompass toxicity, in vivo effectiveness and constraints associated with limited data access. However, further investigation through in-depth study and emerging technologies is of paramount importance, given that there are still many more compounds to discover. This review highlights the importance of antifungal compounds derived from Streptomyces , which demonstrate robust inhibition, and, in many cases, low toxicity, making them promising candidates for the development of novel antifungal agents.