Zika virus (ZiKV) has been extensively studied since it was linked to congenital malformations, and recent research has revealed that astrocytes are targets of ZiKV. However, the consequences of ZiKV infection, especially to this cell type, remain largely unknown, particularly considering integrative studies aiming to understand the crosstalk among key cellular mechanisms and fates involved in the neurotoxicity of the virus. Here, the consequences of ZiKV infection in ipSc-derived astrocytes are presented. our results show RoS imbalance, mitochondrial defects and DnA breakage, which have been previously linked to neurological disorders. We have also detected glial reactivity, also present in mice and in post-mortem brains from infected neonates from the northeast of Brazil. Given the role of glia in the developing brain, these findings may help to explain the observed effects in congenital Zika syndrome related to neuronal loss and motor deficit.

e Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is the most severe form of leishmaniasis and is the second major cause of death by parasites, after malaria. The arsenal of drugs against leishmaniasis is small, and each has a disadvantage in terms of toxicity, efficacy, price, or treatment regimen. Our group has focused on studying new drug candidates as alternatives to current treatments. The pterocarpanquinone LQB-118 was designed and synthesized based on molecular hybridization, and it exhibited antiprotozoal and antileukemic cell line activities. Our previous work demonstrated that LQB-118 was an effective treatment for experimental cutaneous leishmaniasis. In this study, we observed that treatment with 10 mg/kg of body weight/day LQB-118 orally inhibited the development of hepatosplenomegaly with a 99% reduction in parasite load. An in vivo toxicological analysis showed no change in the clinical, biochemical, or hematological parameters. Histologically, all of the analyzed organs were normal, with the exception of the liver, where focal points of necrosis with leukocytic infiltration were observed at treatment doses 5 times higher than the therapeutic dose; however, these changes were not accompanied by an increase in transaminases. Our findings indicate that LQB-118 is effective at treating different clinical forms of leishmaniasis and presents no relevant signs of toxicity at therapeutic doses; thus, this framework is demonstrated suitable for developing promising drug candidates for the oral treatment of leishmaniasis.