RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Preliminary analysis of a neotropical plant extract antiviral potential against <em>Chikungunya</em> and <em>Mayaro</em> viruses
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 2021.08.04.455105
DO 10.1101/2021.08.04.455105
A1 Ellen Caroline Feitoza Pires
A1 Francini Pereira da Silva
A1 Karoline Schallenberger
A1 Bruna Saraiva Hermann
A1 Larissa Mallmann
A1 Alini Godinho dos Santos
A1 Wellington S. Moura
A1 Eugênio E. de Oliveira
A1 Guy Smagghe
A1 Sergio Donizeti Ascêncio
A1 Robson dos Santos Barbosa
A1 Ilsamar Mendes
A1 Juliane Deise Fleck
A1 Bergmann Morais Ribeiro
A1 Raimundo Wagner de Souza Aguiar
YR 2021
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2021/08/04/2021.08.04.455105.abstract
AB Chikungunya and Mayaro fevers are viral infectious diseases, without vaccine or treatment, that causes fever and arthralgia. Establishing novel antiviral tools capable of preventing or treating Chikungunya virus (CHIKV), and Mayaro virus (MAYV) infections are needed. The use of plant-based compounds that affect the replication cycles of these viruses has been proposed as a promising strategy. Chiococca alba (L.) Hitchc. is a neotropical plant used by Yucatec Mayas traditional healers, mainly, as antipyretic and antirheumatic. To evaluate the potential of C. alba methanolic extracts against CHIKV and MAYV through preliminary analysis in vitro and in silico. The cytotoxicity profile of two C. alba roots methanolic extracts in Vero cells was performed by lysosomal viability using the neutral red assay, and the antiviral potential was determined by plaque assay. We further assessed, through in silico computational predictions, the possible interactions between the active site of the nsP2 proteases of these viruses with some secondary metabolites present in C. alba extracts, identified by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). Our partial phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of flavonoids, and phenolic acids in the C. alba extracts. Our in vitro assays showed that both C. alba extracts inhibited more than 70% of CHIKV and MAYV activities at 60 µg/mL concentration. Based on our in silico computational predictions, the flavonoids naringin and vitexin showed the greatest affinity energies with the CHIKV and MAYV nsP2 proteases, revealing the great potential of these compounds as viral inhibitors. The findings described here indicates that C. alba extracts, or their secondary metabolites, as a potential source of novel antiviral compounds.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.