Avaliação do efeito antirrábico da bufotenina em modelos de raiva murinos para determinação de seu mecanismo de ação

Abstract

The search for chemical compounds extracted from animal and / or plant species has been investigated in experimental tests when considering the treatment of diseases of epidemiological importance such as rabies, a viral, acute and infectious disease, which has a lethality of approximately 100% and which has been a major cause of death in humans with respect to infectious diseases. This study aimed to investigate the mechanism of action of the alkaloid bufotenine in an in vivo model with the rabies virus. The production and titration of wild virus was carried out from the IP1972 / 16 sample (compatible with domestic dog) in an animal for later carrying out the accidental simulation experiment with the rabies virus inoculated via footpad. Six animals were used to produce suspensions, 40 for titration and 75 for the experiment. The virus titer was 1DL50 = 102.4, and administration of a total of 10 LD50 was established. The CNS, bone marrow and whole blood of the animals were collected. The CNS of each animal was subjected to titration of virus in suspension, analysis of cytokines and histological analysis; the marrow was subjected to titration of virus in suspension; the whole blood was subjected to the Rapid Fluorescent Spot Inhibition Test (RFFIT) and to the analysis of cytokines. The results revealed a possible effect of bufotenine in modulating the immune response of the studied host, allowing to suggest an interference in delaying the manifestation of symptoms. As for the histological analysis of the Central Nervous System (CNS) of the animals, bufotenine possibly prevented the presence of inflammatory infiltrate of mononuclear cells in the meningeal region when compared to the positive control group for rabies and also possibly contributed to the reduction of neuronal degeneration. This work was a pioneer in conducting research that associates the use of the bufotenin toxin extracted from the seed of a plant representative of the Brazilian flora, the angicobranco, as an antiviral applied to the study of the effects on the immunological aspects of the host infected by the rabies, and that, therefore, needs further studies for further clarification.