About 80% of the human adult population is infected with HSV-1. Although there are many anti-HSV-1 drugs available (acyclovir, ganciclovir, valaciclovir, foscarnet), their continuous use promotes the selection of resistant strains, mainly in ACV patients. In addition to resistance, the drugs also have toxicity, particularly when administration is prolonged. The study of new molecules isolated from green algae with potential antiviral activity represents a good opportunity for the development of antiviral drugs. Caulerpin, the major product from the marine algae Caulerpa Lamouroux (Caulerpales), is known for its biological activities such as antioxidant, antifungal, acetylcholinesterase inhibitor (AChE) and antibacterial activity. In this work, we show that caulerpin could be an alternative to acyclovir as an anti-HSV-1 drug that inhibits the alpha and beta phases of the replication cycle.
Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) is an etiologic agent that causes important economic losses in the world. It is endemic in cattle herds in most parts of the world. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the in vitro cytotoxic effect and antiviral properties of several marine natural products obtained from seaweeds: the indole alkaloid caulerpin (CAV, 1) and three diterpenes: 6-hydroxydichotoma-3,14-diene-1,17-dial (DA, 2), 10,18-diacetoxy-8-hydroxy-2,6-dolabelladiene (DB1, 3) and 8,10,18-trihydroxy-2,6-dolabelladiene (DB3, 4). The screening to evaluate the cytotoxicity of compounds did not show toxic effects to MDBK cells. The antiviral activity of the compounds was measured by the inhibition of the cytopathic effect on infected cells by plaque assay (PA) and EC50 values were calculated for CAV (EC=2,0± 5.8), DA (EC 2,8± 7.7), DB1 (EC 2,0±9.7), and DB3 (EC 2,3±7.4). Acyclovir (EC50 322± 5.9) was used in all experiments as the control standard. Although the results of the antiviral activity suggest that all compounds are promising as antiviral agents against BVDV, the Selectivity Index suggests that DB1 is the safest of the compounds tested.
Dolabelladienotriol is a product extracted from the brown marine alga Dictyota pfaffii from Brazil that has been shown to have antiviral activity and low cytotoxicity. Our studies have evaluated the acute toxicity of dolabelladienotriol in BALB/c mice for ten days after administration of a single dose. Among the parameters considered were behavior, weight, biochemical and histological analyses of blood samples taken at three different times (Bs.0, Bs.1 and Bs.2) and optical microscopic examination of organs like liver, kidney, stomach and small intestine. Mice deaths were not observed at any dose during the ten day period. There were some changes in the biochemical analysis results for urea nitrogen (BUN) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT), but the changes were not significantly different from the reference levels of the animals before administration of the substance. Histological analyses of tissues were very similar for all animals. The alterations in liver and kidney tissues did not affect the animals´ behavior at any concentration, not even at 50 mg/kg, where the most significant changes in tissues were seen. This study indicates that dolabelladienotriol has low toxicity in administered dose range.
The CH2Cl2 crude extract and a fraction enriched with halogenated monoterpenes of the Brazilian red alga Plocamium brasiliense were evaluated for cytotoxicity and against the virus HSV-1. The extract showed low cytotoxicity compared with the fraction containing monoterpenes. The crude extract showed, in vitro, a high reduction of infectivity of the virus HSV-1.
Este trabalho consiste de um relato de experiência de um projeto de extensão que foi desenvolvido com o objetivo de aprimorar a disciplina de Química nas turmas de segundo ano (Ensino Médio e EJA) das Escolas Estaduais de Bambuí, Minas Gerais. Para atingir tal objetivo, a equipe buscou utilizar diferentes estratégias didático-pedagógicas. Enquanto em uma das escolas foi trabalhado o Jogo “Quente ou Frio?” na abordagem do conteúdo de Termoquímica, em outra escola buscou-se empregar a atividade experimental “Solubilidade do CO2 no refrigerante- efeito da pressão” e textos de contextualização relacionados aos conteúdos de soluções e solubilidade. Para estes últimos conteúdos foram propostas atividades compostas de oito questões objetivas. A partir dos resultados obtidos, foi possível verificar que o jogo didático contribuiu para o diagnóstico de problemas relacionados ao conteúdo da temática envolvida, bem como permitiu motivar os estudantes durante a realização da atividade proposta, criando condições de novas formas de pensamento. A experimentação foi considerada como um recurso didático-pedagógico favorecedor da consolidação do ensino, já que os conceitos a ela associados obtiveram mais êxito na análise quantitativa das atividades propostas. Por fim verificou-se que a inserção de textos complementares vinculados ao cotidiano contribuiu para a formação de cidadãos críticos, capazes de atuarem em situações reais. Por meio da análise dos resultados obtidos, os participantes da equipe de extensão acreditam que o projeto motivou os docentes em sua prática e os estudantes em suas preconcepções.
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