A methanol extract and N,N-dimethyltryptamine from Psychotria viridis Ruiz & Pav. inhibit Zika virus infection in vitro

Autor: Waleska Stephanie da Cruz Nizer, Antônio Helvécio Tótola, Sidney A. Vieira-Filho, Cintia Lopes de Brito Magalhães, Ariane Coelho Ferraz, José Carlos de Magalhães, Débora B. S. Soares, Lucienir Pains Duarte, Thaís de Fátima Silva Moraes
Rok vydání: 2021
Předmět:
Zdroj: Archives of Virology. 166:3275-3287
ISSN: 1432-8798
0304-8608
Popis: Zika virus (ZIKV) is a public health problem due to its association with serious fetal and neurological complications and the lack of antiviral agents and licensed vaccines against this virus. Surveillance studies have alerted about the potential occurrence of a new South American epidemic episode due to the recent circulation of an African ZIKV strain detected in Brazil. Therefore, it is essential to discover antiviral agents, including natural substances, that are capable of neutralizing the action of ZIKV. Several Psychotria species have antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties. Thus, a methanol extract and dimethyltryptamine from Psychotria viridis were evaluated for their ability to inhibit ZIKV infection in vitro by measuring the effective concentration that protects 50% of cells and investigating their possible mechanisms of action. The tested samples showed antiviral activity against ZIKV. The extract showed virucidal activity, affecting viral and non-cellular elements, inactivating the virus before infection or when it becomes extracellular after the second cycle of infection. It was also observed that both extract and dimethyltryptamine could inhibit the virus at intracellular stages of the viral cycle. In addition to dimethyltryptamine, it is believed that other compounds also contribute to the promising virucidal effect observed for the methanol extract. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the activity of a methanolic extract and dimethyltryptamine from Psychotria viridis against cellular ZIKV infection. These two samples, extracted from natural sources, are potential candidates for use as antiviral drugs to inhibit ZIKV infections.
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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