Fabiana Barcelos Furtado

Experience in the chemical characterization of natural products and evaluation of their biological activities. Research interests include ethnopharmacology, biomolecules, phytochemistry, organic chemistry, biochemistry, molecular biology, cell biology, and microbiology. Currently affiliated with the Faculty of Medicine of Botucatu (UNESP), working as a biologist at the Applied Biotechnology Laboratory.

EDUCATION

Bachelor’s and Licentiate degree in Biological Sciences and Master’s degree in Chemistry from the Federal University of Uberlândia (UFU). Ph.D. in General and Applied Biology, with a focus on biomolecules, from São Paulo State University (UNESP – Júlio de Mesquita Filho).

RESEARCH, TEACHING, or OTHER INTERESTS

Drug Discovery, Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, Plant Science

FUTURE PROJECTS

Scopus Publications

Surfactant-Enhanced Electrospun Nanofiber Filters for Efficient Viral and Bacterial Inactivation
Edilton N. da Silva, Paulo A. M. Chagas, Gustavo C. da Mata, Felipe A. Lima, Fabiana B. Furtado, Wanderley P. de Oliveira, Rejane M. T. Grotto, Clovis W. O. de Souza, Mônica L. Aguiar, and Vádila G. Guerra
Wiley
ABSTRACT Air pollution caused by particulate matter (PM) and bioaerosols, including viruses and bacteria, represents a major global health concern. The development of air filters combining high filtration efficiency with antimicrobial activity is therefore essential. This study investigates electrospun polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibers functionalized with cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC), cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), evaluating their PM 0 . 3 filtration performance and antimicrobial activity. PAN nanofibers were produced from 8 wt% PAN solutions containing 1.5%, 2.0%, and 2.5% surfactant. Solution viscosity and electrical conductivity were measured, and the filters were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, contact angle measurements, and x‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Antibacterial and antiviral performances were systematically assessed. Nanofiber diameters ranged from 431 to 712 nm, achieving filtration efficiencies of up to 99.92% with pressure drops between 42 and 269 Pa. Surfactant incorporation significantly enhanced antimicrobial performance. PAN nanofibers containing 2.5% CPC achieved bacterial reductions of 99.58% for Staphylococcus aureus and 99.65% for Escherichia coli , while filters containing 1.5% surfactant achieved approximately 4‐log (99.99%) inactivation of SARS‐CoV‐2. These results demonstrate that surfactant‐functionalized PAN nanofibers are promising candidates for advanced air filtration applications.


Modulatory effects of Eucalyptus spp. essential oils and eucalyptol on cytokines and antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2
Fabiana Barcelos Furtado, Marina Raquel Bento de Camargo, Luidy Carlos de Souza Santos Quispe, William de Souza Li, Agatha Mayume Silva Kubo, Maria Letícia de Oliveira Lyra, Leonardo Nazário de Moraes, Aline Márcia Marques Braz, Edivaldo Domingues Velini, Marjorie de Assis Golim,et al.
Informa UK Limited



Saliva as a Biological Fluid in SARS-CoV-2 Detection
Emily Thalia Teixeira Silva, Fabiana Barcelos Furtado, Rosana Antunes da Silveira, Karen Ingrid Tasca, Cristiane Nonato Silva, Amanda Thais Godoy, Leonardo Nazario de Moraes, Michelle Venancio Hong, Camila Gonçalves Alves, Rafael Plana Simões,et al.
MDPI AG
Background: The polymerase chain reaction of upper respiratory tract swab samples was established as the gold standard procedure for diagnosing SARS-CoV-2 during the COVID pandemic. However, saliva collection has attracted attention as an alternative diagnostic collection method. The goal of this study was to compare the use of saliva and nasopharyngeal swab (NPS) samples for the detection of SARS-CoV-2. Methods: Ninety-nine paired samples were evaluated for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 by saliva and swab for a qualitative diagnosis and quantitative comparison of viral particles. Furthermore, the detection limits for each sample collection technique were determined. The cycle threshold (CT) values of the saliva samples, the vaccination status, and the financial costs associated with each collection technique were compared. Results: The results showed qualitative equivalence in diagnosis (96.96%) comparing saliva and swab collection, although there was low quantitative agreement. Furthermore, the detection limit test demonstrated equivalence for both collection methods. We did not observe a statistically significant association between CT values and vaccination status, indicating that the vaccine had no influence on viral load at diagnosis. Finally, we observed that the use of saliva incurs lower financial costs and requires less use of plastic materials, making it more sustainable. Conclusions: These findings support the adoption of saliva collection as a feasible and sustainable alternative to the diagnosis of COVID-19.


CDH1 hypermethylation: A potential molecular pathway for invasiveness in glioblastoma
Daniel R. Belut, Estela de O. Lima, Marco A. Zanini, Aline F. Galvani, Fabiana B. Furtado, and Adriana C. Ferrasi
Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health)
Glioblastoma is the most aggressive central nervous system primary tumor. Prognosis is poor, mainly due to the malignant characteristics of the tumor, such as high cell proliferation and invasiveness. CDH1 hypermethylation is linked to the invasive potential in various cancer types, but its importance is still unknown in glioblastoma. In this context, the methylation status of CDH1 was analyzed using MSP-PCR (Methylation-specific Polymerase Chain Reaction) in glioblastoma (n = 34) and normal glial tissue samples (n = 11). CDH1 hypermethylation was found in 39.4% (13/34) of the tumor samples and none of the normal glial tissue, suggesting a relation between CDH1 hypermethylation and glioblastoma (P = 0.0195). Finally, this study showed unprecedented information that could contribute to clarifying the molecular pathways involved in the invasiveness and aggressiveness of this type of cancer.


Nanostructured lipid carriers loaded with essential oils: a strategy against SARS-CoV-2
L. F. Almeida, G. A. Gil, L. N. Moraes, F. B. Furtado, L. Kakuda, R. M. T. Grotto, and W. P. Oliveira
Informa UK Limited



Integrative Analysis of the Ethanol Tolerance of Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Ivan Rodrigo Wolf, Lucas Farinazzo Marques, Lauana Fogaça de Almeida, Lucas Cardoso Lázari, Leonardo Nazário de Moraes, Luiz Henrique Cardoso, Camila Cristina de Oliveira Alves, Rafael Takahiro Nakajima, Amanda Piveta Schnepper, Marjorie de Assis Golim,et al.
MDPI AG
Ethanol (EtOH) alters many cellular processes in yeast. An integrated view of different EtOH-tolerant phenotypes and their long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) is not yet available. Here, large-scale data integration showed the core EtOH-responsive pathways, lncRNAs, and triggers of higher (HT) and lower (LT) EtOH-tolerant phenotypes. LncRNAs act in a strain-specific manner in the EtOH stress response. Network and omics analyses revealed that cells prepare for stress relief by favoring activation of life-essential systems. Therefore, longevity, peroxisomal, energy, lipid, and RNA/protein metabolisms are the core processes that drive EtOH tolerance. By integrating omics, network analysis, and several other experiments, we showed how the HT and LT phenotypes may arise: (1) the divergence occurs after cell signaling reaches the longevity and peroxisomal pathways, with CTA1 and ROS playing key roles; (2) signals reaching essential ribosomal and RNA pathways via SUI2 enhance the divergence; (3) specific lipid metabolism pathways also act on phenotype-specific profiles; (4) HTs take greater advantage of degradation and membraneless structures to cope with EtOH stress; and (5) our EtOH stress-buffering model suggests that diauxic shift drives EtOH buffering through an energy burst, mainly in HTs. Finally, critical genes, pathways, and the first models including lncRNAs to describe nuances of EtOH tolerance are reported here.


Chemical Constituents and Antileishmanial and Antibacterial Activities of Essential Oils from Scheelea phalerata
Daiane M. Oliveira, Fabiana B. Furtado, Antoniel A. S. Gomes, Belisa R. Belut, Evandro A. Nascimento, Sérgio A. L. Morais, Carlos H. G. Martins, Vinícius C. O. Santos, Claudio V. da Silva, Thaise L. Teixeira,et al.
American Chemical Society (ACS)
Scheelea phalerata Mart. ex Spreng (Arecaceae) is a palm tree found in the Brazilian cerrado. There are no topics related to volatile oils from S. phalerata leaves in the literature. This work determines its chemical composition and evaluates the biological activity under two different seasonal conditions (dry and rainy seasons). The dry essential oil yield was 0.034 ± 0.001% and the rainy essential oil yield was 0.011 ± 0.003%. Both essential oils presented different qualitative and quantitative compositions (99.4 and 98.5%). The main constituents of the dry essential oil were phytol (36.7%), nonadecane (9.7%), linolenic acid (9.1%), (Z)-hex-3-en-1-ol (4.2%), and squalene (4.0%). The main constituents of the rainy essential oil were phytol (26.1%), palmitic acid (18.7%), hexan-1-ol (15.6%), (Z)-hex-3-en-1-ol (9.7%), and oleic acid (4.0%). The antileishmanial activity against promastigotes of Leishmania amazonensis was observed only for the rainy season essential oil (IC50 value of 165.05 ± 33.26 μg mL–1). A molecular docking study showed that alcohols exert a paramount efficacy and that the action of some essential oil compounds may be similar to that of amphotericin B. Still, only the essential oil from the dry season showed moderate antibacterial activity against S. sanguinis (MICs 200–400 μg mL–1). The cytotoxicity against Vero cells was identical (>512) for both essential oils. The novel data here for both chemical characterization and biological activity, in particular, evidence that the action of these compounds is similar to that of amphotericin B, provide valuable information to the drug-discovery field.


Schinus molle essential oil as a potential source of bioactive compounds: antifungal and antibacterial properties
A.C. do Prado, H.G. Garces, E. Bagagli, V.L.M. Rall, A. Furlanetto, A. Fernandes Junior, and F.B. Furtado
Oxford University Press (OUP)



Chemical composition and bioactivity of essential oil from blepharocalyx salicifolius
Fabiana Furtado, Bruna Borges, Thaise Teixeira, Hans Garces, Luiz Almeida Junior, Fernanda Alves, Claudio Silva, and Ary Fernandes Junior
MDPI AG
Natural products represent a source of biologically active molecules that have an important role in drug discovery. The aromatic plant Blepharocalyx salicifolius has a diverse chemical constitution but the biological activities of its essential oils have not been thoroughly investigated. The aims of this paper were to evaluate in vitro cytotoxic, antifungal and antibacterial activities of an essential oil from leaves of B. salicifolius and to identify its main chemical constituents. The essential oil was extracted by steam distillation, chemical composition was determined by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, and biological activities were performed by a microdilution broth method. The yield of essential oil was 0.86% (w/w), and the main constituents identified were bicyclogermacrene (17.50%), globulol (14.13%), viridiflorol (8.83%), γ-eudesmol (7.89%) and α-eudesmol (6.88%). The essential oil was cytotoxic against the MDA-MB-231 (46.60 μg·mL−1) breast cancer cell line, being more selective for this cell type compared to the normal breast cell line MCF-10A (314.44 μg·mL−1). Flow cytometry and cytotoxicity results showed that this oil does not act by inducing cell death, but rather by impairment of cellular metabolism specifically of the cancer cells. Furthermore, it presented antifungal activity against Paracoccidioides brasiliensis (156.25 μg·mL−1) but was inactive against other fungi and bacteria. Essential oil from B. salicifolius showed promising biological activities and is therefore a source of molecules to be exploited in medicine or by the pharmaceutical industry.


Short communication: Inhibitory activities of the lantibiotic nisin combined with phenolic compounds against Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria monocytogenes in cow milk
Fernanda C.B. Alves, Lidiane N. Barbosa, Bruna F.M.T. Andrade, Mariana Albano, Fabiana Barcelos Furtado, Ana Flávia Marques Pereira, Vera L.M. Rall, and Ary Fernandes Júnior
American Dairy Science Association



An in vitro and in vivo study of the α-amylase activity of phaseolamin
Neire Moura de Gouveia, Fernanda Vieira Alves, Fabiana Barcelos Furtado, Danielli Luana Scherer, Antonio Vicente Mundim, and Foued Salmen Espindola
Mary Ann Liebert Inc



Seasonal variation of the chemical composition and antimicrobial and cytotoxic activities of the essential oils from inga laurina (sw.) willd
Fabiana Furtado, Francisco de Aquino, Evandro Nascimento, Carla Martins, Sérgio de Morais, Roberto Chang, Luís Cunha, Luís Leandro, Carlos Martins, Mário Martins,et al.
MDPI AG
The seasonal chemical composition of essential oils from Inga laurina was determined by GC/MS. In the stem bark’s essential oil extracted during the dry season, the presence of terpenoids (30.05%) stood out, and phytol (9.76%) was the major compound identified. For the stem bark oil obtained during the rainy season, in addition to terpenoids (26.63%), a large amount of fatty acids (46.84%) were identified, in particular palmitic acid (25.40%). Regarding the leaves’ essential oil obtained in the dry season, esters (42.35%) were the main components. The main ester present was (Z)-hex-3-enyl benzoate (10.15%) and the major compound of this oil was (Z)-hex-3-en-1-ol (14.23%). Terpenoids (33.84%), long-chain alkanes (27.04%) and fatty acids (21.72%) were the main components of the essential oil from leaves in the rainy season. Phytol (33.21%), nonacosane (21.95%) and palmitic acid (15.20%) were the major compounds identified. The antimicrobial activity against aerobic and anaerobic oral bacteria was evaluated by the microdilution broth method and cytotoxic activity was carried out with Vero cells. The essential oils from the rainy season showed a better inhibition of the bacterial growth with Minimal Inhibitory Concentrations (MIC) values of 25 or 50 µg·mL−1 for aerobic bacteria, and high selectivity against bacteria was observed. The large amount of fatty acids in rainy season oils may be related to the better inhibitory effects observed.


Neuroprotective effects of Pouteria ramiflora (Mart.) Radlk (Sapotaceae) extract on the brains of rats with streptozotocin-induced diabetes
Alice Vieira da Costa, Luciana Karen Calábria, Fabiana Barcelos Furtado, Neire Moura de Gouveia, Renato José da Silva Oliveira, Vanessa Neves de Oliveira, Marcelo Emilio Beletti, and Foued Salmen Espindola
Springer Science and Business Media LLC



Overexpression of myosin-IIB in the brain of a rat model of streptozotocin-induced diabetes
Luciana Karen Calábria, Gabriel Costa Nunes da Cruz, Rafael Nascimento, Washington João Carvalho, Neire Moura de Gouveia, Fernanda Vieira Alves, Fabiana Barcelos Furtado, Hellen Cristina Ishikawa-Ankerhold, Marcelo Valle de Sousa, Luiz Ricardo Goulart,et al.
Elsevier BV

RECENT SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS

Publications

SHIMITH, FERNANDA MARTINUCHO ; FURTADO, FABIANA BARCELOS ; VALENTE, GUILHERME TARGINO ; GROTTO, REJANE MARIA TOMMASINI . Zika Virus during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Epidemiological Parameters and Advances in Understanding the Infection. ADVANCES IN INFECTIOUS DISEASES, v. 13, p. 527-535, 2023.

FURTADO, FABIANA BARCELOS; SCHNEPPER, AMANDA PIVETA ; RIBEIRO, LUCAS GABRIEL ; DE ALMEIDA, LAUANA FOGAÇA ; FORTALEZA, CARLOS MAGNO CASTELO BRANCO ; GUIMARÃES, RAUL BORGES ; FERREIRA, CLAUDIA PIO ; DE ALMEIDA, GABRIEL BERG ; FERRARI, ANNA PAULA ; DE CAMPOS, ELISÂNGELA CRISTINA ; GROTTO, REJANE MARIA TOMMASINI . COVID-19 diagnosis and SARS-CoV-2 viral load in hospitalized patients versus people with Flu-Like Syndrome. Brazilian Journal of Development, v. 9, p. 6644-6654, 2023.

FURTADO, FABIANA BARCELOS; ALMEIDA, LAUANA FOGAÇA DE ; GROTTO, REJANE MARIA TOMMASINI . Update on treatment of Hepatitis C: promising new molecules for difficult to treat patients. Brazilian Journal of Development, v. 8, p. 71212-71225, 2022.