Metabolic alterations in ex vivo infected nasal polyp explants with controlled viruses.

• Grant number: 23/14848-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: April 01, 2024
• End date: April 30, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Microbiology - Applied Microbiology
• Principal Investigator: Eurico de Arruda Neto
• Grantee: Carlos Eduardo Capelini Eli Lopes
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto (FMRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Chronic rhinosinusitis is characterized as a pathology of multifactorial and chronic nature. One of its classifications is based on the presence or absence of nasal polyps, benign masses whose etiology remains unknown. Respiratory viruses affect both the lower and upper respiratory systems and can be of different classes, such as those used in this work: rhinoviruses (major and minor) and coronaviruses that carry a pandemic style, being the protagonist of major public health challenges in this century, such as the epidemic of acute respiratory syndrome caused by SARS-CoV in 2002 and the recent pandemic of COVID-19. Explants are a form of cell culture where a fragment of the tissue itself is used to originate primary cells in order to better mimic the metabolic scenario and its nuances. Finally, metabolomics is a field of bioinformatics that studies and analyzes the metabolites of a given sample where we can make comparisons and make new discoveries. Infection of nasal polyp explants with rhinovirus (major and minor) and SARS-CoV will be carried out in order to evaluate the impact of these organisms on cell mass, especially their inflammatory nature. For this, cytokines and viral load will be quantified in different time jumps, in addition to the elucidation of their metabolome before and after infection. Using PCR and RNA extraction techniques, the presence of possible microorganisms present in polyps will also be investigated and quantified through commercial kits. Finally, immunohistochemical analyzes will also allow visualization and studies of histological sections. With that, it is hoped that this study can contribute to the clarification of new forms of treatment or even in the etiology of nasal polyps that can considerably reduce the quality of life of its carriers and that, recurrently, require surgical interventions and use of corticoids.