Researchers look at Antarctic fungi for drug against dengue fever
Staff Writer |
Scientists from the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) are studying fungi from Antarctica in search of substances that can be used to prepare drugs against the dengue virus.
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The Antarctic Mycology project, called MycoAntar for short, is carrying out tests with over 5,000 samples of substances obtained in the icy continent.
Two of them have already demonstrated potential to give rise to antivirals for humans, as they were able to inhibit the dengue virus with low toxicity.
During each Antarctic Operation, which occurs annually between October and March, scientists travel to the continent to perform fungal collection. The samples, gathered since the project was created in 2013, allowed UFMG to build the largest collection of Antarctic fungi in the world. There are currently about 8,000 species in the bank.
Using these samples, scientists grow fungi in low temperature and collect extracts of the substances produced. Those are then sent to the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz)'s Renê Rachou Research Centre, based in Belo Horizonte. Those who manifested biological activity in the presence of the dengue virus are then identified.
"Let's say that, out of a thousand samples, 100 were active. We will map each substance of these 100 extracts to test them individually. We are already in this phase of the study. Two extracts have shown to be more promising, so now we will characterise all their substances," explained Luiz Rosa, a researcher at UFMG.
The scientist clarifies that the drug they seek will not necessarily be able to eliminate dengue. It may, for example, be a medicine that alleviates the symptoms of the disease's acute phase or that helps develop a vaccine for it.
The studies focused on developing drugs against dengue are more advanced, but the substances collected are also being verified for activity against zika and chikungunya fever, among other diseases
Brazilian Antarctic Programme
MycoAntar is one of the projects that integrate the Brazilian Antarctic Programme (Proantar), aimed at developing Brazil's scientific exploration of the icy continent. The programme was initiated in 1982.
It is developed with operational support from the Navy and funding from the Ministry of Science, Technology, Innovation and Communications (MCTI) and research funding institutions. ■