Curcumin loaded poly lactic-co-glycolic acid nanoparticles as an antiviral formulation against Zika virus.

SEPÚLVEDA, C.S.; D'ACCORSO, N.B.; DÍAZ SIERRA, J.B.; DAMONTE, E.B.; PUGNI, E.; PACHO, N.; GARCÍA, C. C.

Congreso; LXIII Reunión Anual de la Sociedad Argentina de Investigación Clínica, LXVI Reunión Anual de la Sociedad Argentina de Inmunología, Reunión Anual de la Sociedad Argentina de Fisiología, SAIC.SAI. SAFIS 2018.; 2018

Poly (D, L-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) is a copolymer of great interest for medicinal applications, because it is bioresorbable, biocompatible, non-toxic, and its kinetics of degradation can be modified by the copolymerization ratio of the monomers. In this study, PLGA was synthesized by opening rings of the cyclic dimers of monomers D, L-lactide and glycolide in the presence of stannous octoate as initiator and lauryl alcohol as co-initiator. The PLGA was characterized by thermal and spectroscopic techniques, resulting in an equimolecular ratio for both monomers, with a glass transition temperature of approximately 35° C, characteristics that make it suitable for controlled release of drugs. On the other hand, curcumin is a natural substance of great biological interest, which inhibits the activity of the inosine monophosphate dehydrogenase (IMPDH), target enzyme for the discovery of antiviral drugs, especially those caused by the Zika flavivirus (ZIKV). Taking into account the difficult administration of curcumin as a drug, PLGA nanoparticles were synthesized that encapsulate this substance, which were characterized and their effectiveness in the treatment of ZIKV was evaluated through different biological tests.