Drugs from sloths?
January 22, 2014
Extracts from fungi found in
the fur of sloths were found to have
anti-parasitic, anti-bacterial and
anti-cancer bioactivity.
The results were published in a
study, ‘Sloth Hair as a Novel Source
of Fungi with Potent Anti-Parasitic,
Anti-Cancer and Anti-Bacterial
Bioactivity’ in the open access
journal PLOS One.
Outer hair of nine three-toed
sloths in Panama was collected
in 2011, with 84 species of fungi
collected and tested for bioactivity.
“We found a broad range of
activities against strains of the
parasites that cause malaria
(Plasmodium falciparum) and
Chagas disease (Trypanosoma
cruzi), and against the human
breast cancer cell line MCF-7,”
said University of Auckland School
of Medical Sciences HRC Hercus
Fellow Dr Siouxsie Wiles.
For the original paper and more
details, CLICK HERE and HERE.
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