Evaluación in vitro de la citotoxicidad de extractos vegetales de Marcetia taxifolia en cultivos celulares para inhibir la proliferación del virus del Zika

Abstract

Zika virus infection is a recurrent problem worldwide, affecting pregnant women and children, to the elderly, leading to complications, which could even be lethal, such as microcephaly observed in fetuses and babies infected by the Zika virus. virus during the gestation stage. Additionally, other complications observed are neurological manifestations, such as Guillain-Barré syndrome, which can appear during the acute phase of infection or after it. The syndrome affects the nerves that control muscle movement and the nerves that transmit pain, heat, and touch. This can lead to muscle weakness and loss of sensation in the legs or arms, and even in the worst case it can lead to death. Although people of all ages can be affected, it is more common in adults and men. Despite this, there is no specific antiviral treatment for this infection, therefore, the main objective of this project was to evaluate the cytotoxicity of plants extracts of Marcetia taxifolia against cell cultures derived from mammals, for a subsequent study of these against the Zika virus. For this, a series of dilutions was made to each of the Marcetia taxifolia extracts, in different concentrations (1, 10, 50, 100, 200 and 300 ug / mL) they were put in interaction with two different cell lines (BHK-21 and Vero) for the subsequent determination of its cytotoxicity. With these results, it is expected later to do viral inhibition tests. In addition, it is expected to demonstrate that it is possible to include the use of bioactive compounds extracted from Marcetia taxifolia as potential anti-infective products, which can be an effective, biosustainable and efficient method in the control of this type of infection.