Estudio de la actividad neuroprotectora de especies liquénicas del clado cetrarioide (F/Parmeliaceae) y compuestos aislados

  1. Ureña Vacas, Isabel
Supervised by:
  1. Elena María González Burgos Director
  2. María Pilar Gómez Serranillos Cuadrado Director

Defence university: Universidad Complutense de Madrid

Fecha de defensa: 13 July 2023

Committee:
  1. Juana Benedí González Chair
  2. Paloma Bermejo Bescós Secretary
  3. Asunción Morán Benito Committee member
  4. Manuela Leri Committee member
  5. Lucinda Villaescusa Castillo Committee member

Type: Thesis

Abstract

As a consequence of the increase of life expectancy, the prevalence of age-related diseases has risen, with neurodegenerative disorders being particularly prominent. These pathologies constitute a serious public health issue due to the severe physical and psychological consequences experienced by the patient and their environment, as well as the health and economic impacts. Its pathogenesis is complex, involving numerous mechanisms such as abnormal protein aggregation, oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, synaptic dysfunction, and neurotransmitter imbalance. The multiplicity of factors involved makes it difficult to find curative treatments that can not only slow down but also reverse the neurodegenerative process. Presently, the focus of research is directed towards identifying "ligands aimed at multiple targets," which act on various disease mechanisms and decrease the adverse effects caused by combinatorial therapies' interactions. Since ancient times, nature has been used as a source of bioactive products. In modern therapeutics, natural compounds or their derivatives obtained by semi-synthesis have stood outfor their pharmacological properties in various therapeutic areas. In this context, lichens emergeas a novel source of active metabolites, which, for a long time, has been scarcely explored. In the last decades, lichen extracts and isolated compounds have been investigated in in silico, in vitro and in vivo models, demonstrating important pharmacological activities such as antioxidant, cytotoxic, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, or photoprotective...