EVALUATION OF THE ANTI-RSV ACTIVITY OF GREEN PROPOLIS AND ITS MAIN CHEMICAL COMPONENT, ARTEPILIN C

• Grant number: 24/03571-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: May 01, 2024
• End date: December 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Immunology - Applied Immunology
• Principal Investigator: Karina Alves de Toledo
• Grantee: Anna Carollyna de Oliveira Bema
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências e Letras (FCL-ASSIS). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Assis. Assis , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The Human Respiratory Syncytial Virus (hRSV) is recognized as a frequent cause of serious respiratory infections, especially among children, the elderly and immunosuppressed individuals, presenting high rates of morbidity and mortality. Although treatments and vaccines have been developed, their applications are limited and still leave part of the vulnerable population unprotected. Our research group has been dedicated to studying the antiviral potential of different compounds against hRSV. Among the substances investigated, several flavonoids stand out, which are also mostly found in the composition of propolis. Green propolis has several biological functions (antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antifungal and immunomodulatory), among them, antiviral activity. Several of these activities have been attributed to its main chemical compound, Artepillin C. Preliminary data from our group demonstrate that green propolis (rich in Artepillin C), but not tubi propolis (poor in Artepillin C), has anti-hRSV activity. . Given the above and the limited knowledge about the anti-hRSV activity of green propolis, our main objective with the development of this proposal is to investigate the anti-hRSV role of green propolis and its main chemical component, Artepillin C. To this end, we will evaluate the viability of A549 cells in protocols designed to investigate the antiviral impact of test samples on cells and/or viral particles through MTT assays. The promising results obtained will be confirmed through plaque formation assays, providing valuable insights to better understand the efficacy and safety of natural compounds in specific and future medical applications.