Optimization of feeding strategy for the ergosterol production by yeasts saccharomyces cerevisiae / Optimización de la estrategia de alimentación para la producción de ergosterol por levaduras saccharomyces cerevisiae

Objective of this study was to optimize ergosterol production by yeast strain Saccharomyces cerevisiae with the use of computer controlled feeding of cultivation medium. Baker´s yeasts strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae originally modified and selected as mutant D7 was further applied in an industrial scale and also in this investigation. Composition of cultivation medium was optimized with the use of a modified Rosenbrock´s method with regard to following components: glucose, yeast extract, ammonium sulphate, potassium dihydrogen phosphate, magnesium sulphate and calcium chloride. Cultivation of yeast culture was performed in 7 L laboratory bioreactor with a working volume of 5 L equipped with a control unit and linked to a computer, with dissolved oxygen tension measurement, oxygen and carbon dioxide analyzers. BIOGENES prototype software was created from the commercial control system Genesis for Windows 3.0 (GFW), from Iconics and CLIPS 6.04 for the PC-Windows platform. From various factors affecting sterol biosynthesis a specific growth rate was chosen. Feed rate was controlled according to mathematical model. In this case it dealt with a design of optimal profile of specific growth rate with consequent calculation of carbon dioxide profile. Sterol concentration in the dry biomass increased from 1.0 % up to 3 %.

El objetivo de este estudio fue optimizar la producción de ergosterol por una cepa de levadura Saccharomyces cerevisiae, controlando la alimentación de medio de cultivo por computadora. La cepa de levadura panadera Saccharomyces cerevisiae originalmente modificada y seleccionada como mutante D7 fue posteriormente utilizada a escala industrial y también para esta investigación. La composición del medio de cultivo fue optimizada usando el método modificado de Rosenbrock respecto a los siguientes componentes: glucosa, extracto de levadura, sulfato de amonio, fosfato dihidrógeno de potasio, sulfato de magnesio y cloruro de calcio. El cultivo de las células de levadura se llevó a cabo en un biorreactor de laboratorio de 7L con un volumen de trabajo de 5L, equipado con una unidad de control conectada a una computadora, con medición de la tensión de oxígeno disuelto y analizadores de oxígeno y dióxido de carbono. Un software prototipo BIOGENES fue creado a partir del sistema de control comercial Genesis para Windows 3.0 (GFW), de Iconics y CLIPS 6.04 para la plataforma de PC-Windows. A partir de varios factores que afectan la biosíntesis de esterol se escogió una tasa específica de crecimiento. La tasa de alimentación se controló mediante un modelo matemático. En este caso, se trató con un diseño de perfil óptimo de tasa de crecimiento específico con un consecuente cálculo del perfil de dióxido de carbono. La concentración de esterol en la biomasa seca se incrementó desde 1,0% hasta 3%.

Ergosterol biosynthesis and drug development for Chagas disease

This article presents an overview of the currently available drugs nifurtimox (NFX) and benznidazole (BZN) used against Trypanosoma cruzi, the aetiological agent of Chagas disease; herein we discuss their limitations along with potential alternatives with a focus on ergosterol biosynthesis inhibitors (EBI). These compounds are currently the most advanced candidates for new anti-T. cruzi agents given that they block de novo production of 24-alkyl-sterols, which are essential for parasite survival and cannot be replaced by a host's own cholesterol. Among these compounds, new triazole derivatives that inhibit the parasite's C14± sterol demethylase are the most promising, as they have been shown to have curative activity in murine models of acute and chronic Chagas disease and are active against NFX and BZN-resistant T. cruzi strains; among this class of compounds, posaconazole (Schering-Plough Research Institute) and ravuconazole (Eisai Company) are poised for clinical trials in Chagas disease patients in the short term. Other T. cruzi-specific EBI, with in vitro and in vivo potency, include squalene synthase, lanosterol synthase and squalene epoxidase-inhibitors as well as compounds with dual mechanisms of action (ergosterol biosynthesis inhibition and free radical generation), but they are less advanced in their development process. The main putative advantages of EBI over currently available therapies include their higher potency and selectivity in both acute and chronic infections, activity against NFX and BZN-resistant T. cruzi strains, and much better tolerability and safety profiles. Limitations may include complexity and cost of manufacture of the new compounds. As for any new drug, such compounds will require extensive clinical testing before being introduced for clinical use, and the complexity of such studies, particularly in chronic patients, will be compounded by the current limitations in the verification of true parasitological...