RESVERATROL INHIBITS ZIKA VIRUS IN VITRO INFECTION IN HUMAN RETINAL PIGMENT EPITHELIUM CELLS

RUSSO CA; TORTI MF; SEPULVEDA CS; GARCIA CC; ALAIMO A

Buenos Aires

Congreso; 9° CONGRESO DE LA SOCIEDAD PANAMERICANA DE RETINA Y VÍTREO; 2021

SOCIEDAD PANAMERICANA DE RETINA Y VÍTREO

APROBACION DE POSTER (NUMERO 23). EVENTO POSTPUESTO A 2021 POR Covid-19Zika virus (ZIKV) is a member of the Flaviviridae family mostly transmitted by Aedesaegypti mosquitoes. No specific therapeutics or vaccines available to treat and protect against ZIKVinfection, turning this situation into a serious public health concern. A number of serious symptomshave become associated with ZIKV infection. Notably, ocular complications due to ZIKV infectionremains a major public health concern because of their ability to cause visual impairment orblindness. Studies have shown ZIKV-induced ocular pathology in the posterior segment (i.e., retina)of the eye. The human retinal pigment epithelium cells (RPE), the supporting tissue of the retina,consists of a monolayer of epithelial cells that contributes to the retinal-blood barrier. Thepermissiveness of the RPE to viral infections makes it a pertinent tissue to study host-cellinteractions. Mitochondria form a network distributed through the cell. These are dynamics organellesthat constantly change their morphology, length and movement along cytoskeleton. Fusion andfission are the two key events responsible for the maintenance of a proper number of functionalmitochondria. An imbalance between both processes led to many pathophysiological outcomes. Onthe other hand, resveratrol (RES), a plant-derived stilbenoid, was recently suggested as a potentialpolyphenol with beneficial effects against human and animal viruses. Objective: we aim to explorethe RES inhibition on ZIKV infection by studying the mitochondrial network statement. Methodology:For this purpose, we employed RPE cell lines derived from human female (hRPE1) and male (ARPE-19) infected with an Argentinian ZIKV strain and treated with different doses of RES. We performedcell viability MTT assay, plaque titer and immunofluorescence assay (mitochondrial TOM-20 proteinand viral E protein staining). Results: RES significantly decreased ZIKV replication in both cell lines.ZIKV exhorted a mitochondrial network dismantling, exhibited by an increased fission event. Also, wequantified that RES significantly restored fusion and fission balance. Conclusion: RES inhibited ZIKVreplication through its antiviral properties and mitigated mitochondrial morphology alterations in bothRPE cell lines. The present study showed that RES may be developed as a future ophthalmictherapy option for ZIKV infection.