VIRUCIDAL ACTIVITY AGAINST SARS-COV-2 AND INHIBITION POTENTIAL OF INFLAMMATORY CYTOKINES RELATED TO COVID-19 FROM OILS ESSENTIALS OF EUCALYPTUS DUNNII, EUCALYPTUS PROPINQUA AND EUCALYPTUS CLOEZIANA

• Grant number: 22/14064-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: January 01, 2023
• End date: December 31, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Immunology - Cellular Immunology
• Principal Investigator: Rejane Maria Tommasini Grotto
• Grantee: Marina Raquel Bento de Camargo
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Agronômicas (FCA). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Based on the literature, volatile compounds of the genus Eucalyptus have potentially favorable properties for the treatment of symptoms of Covid-19 and fighting SARS-CoV-2 infection. As this pathogen will remain a virus of concern, even with the end of the pandemic, the search for active molecules that act both against the infection and in the cytokine storm that lead to the worsening of the disease is of great importance. Therefore, this work aims to investigate the biological activities of the species E. dunnii, E. propinqua and E. cloeziana, not yet evaluated in relation to their antiviral actions against SARS-CoV-2 and anti-inflammatory in the complications of Covid-19. Leaves of the eucalyptus species in question will be collected and will undergo a drying process for later extraction by steam drag. The constituents of each essential oil will be identified by analysis in a gas chromatograph coupled to a mass spectrometer. In vitro, virucidal activity tests against SARS-CoV-2 will be carried out, by the TCID50 method, quantification of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the supernatant of treated cell cultures, by flow cytometry, cytotoxic activity assays, using resazurin as a colorimetric method and , if promising results are found for these essential oils, their isolated compounds and in combination will also be evaluated for the same tests previously performed. It is hoped, with this research, that new molecules or combinations of potentially active molecules can be discovered against SARS-CoV-2 and against the cytokine storm in Covid-19 and can give new perspectives for the development of drugs that are efficient.