Ferreira Iasmin Rosanne Silva, Justino Isabela Araújo, Martins Ronaldo Bragança, Souza Maria Vitória Oliveira, de Lima Thais Melquiades, de Freitas Pinheiro Ana Maria, Arruda Eurico, Bastos Jairo Kenupp, Marcato Priscyla Daniely
GNanoBio, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirao Preto, University of Sao Paulo, Ribeirao Preto, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Department of Clinical, Toxicological and Bromatological Analysis, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil.
Sci Rep. 2025 Jul 1;15(1):21627. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-05683-w.
The global COVID-19 pandemic, caused by SARS-CoV-2, continues to pose a significant threat to public health and the economy. SARS-CoV-2 is highly contagious, transmitted primarily through direct contact or inhalation of droplets, and can cause severe respiratory illnesses and other health complications, including post-acute COVID-19 syndrome. This study explored the antiviral potential of Brazilian green propolis, a natural product rich in flavonoids and phenolic compounds encapsulated in a microemulsion, to enhance its stability and antiviral effects. Brazilian green propolis extract was encapsulated in a microemulsion (ME-GP) and characterized using various physicochemical techniques. Furthermore, the antiviral and anti-inflammatory activities of ME-GP was evaluated in vitro and ex-vivo against SARS-CoV-2. For this, cells or tonsils were treated with ME-GP followed by infection with SARS-CoV-2. The microemulsion showed a size of approximately 217 nm, negative zeta potential, high encapsulation efficiency for artepillin C and baccharin (< 99%), and a spherical morphology. The ME-GP formulation was evaluated for antiviral activity against multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants (Wuhan, Gamma, Delta, and Omicron) in Caco-2 cells. The results demonstrated a significant reduction in viral load, particularly for the Wuhan and Delta variants, with up to a 99% reduction in viral load under prophylactic treatment conditions. Time-of-addition assays revealed that ME-GP acts at an early stage in the viral life cycle, likely by interfering with viral entry or immediate post-entry events. Additionally, ME-GP was evaluated in human tonsils, demonstrating an 80% reduction in viral load, suggesting its potential to reduce the transmission and progression of infection. Furthermore, ME-GP exhibited anti-inflammatory activity in human tonsils, significantly decreasing IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, and TNF-β levels. Thus, this study highlights the promising prophylactic and therapeutic potential of nanoencapsulated green propolis for combating SARS-CoV-2 and its variants, providing a natural adjunct in COVID-19 therapy.
由严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2（SARS-CoV-2）引起的全球新冠疫情，继续对公众健康和经济构成重大威胁。SARS-CoV-2具有高度传染性，主要通过直接接触或吸入飞沫传播，可导致严重的呼吸道疾病和其他健康并发症，包括新冠后急性综合征。本研究探索了巴西绿蜂胶的抗病毒潜力，它是一种富含黄酮类化合物和酚类化合物的天然产物，被包裹在微乳剂中以提高其稳定性和抗病毒效果。巴西绿蜂胶提取物被包裹在微乳剂中（ME-GP），并使用各种物理化学技术进行表征。此外，还在体外和离体条件下评估了ME-GP对SARS-CoV-2的抗病毒和抗炎活性。为此，用ME-GP处理细胞或扁桃体，然后用SARS-CoV-2感染。该微乳剂的粒径约为217纳米，zeta电位为负，对artepillin C和baccharin的包封率高（<99%），呈球形形态。在Caco-2细胞中评估了ME-GP制剂对多种SARS-CoV-2变体（武汉、伽马、德尔塔和奥密克戎）的抗病毒活性。结果表明病毒载量显著降低，特别是对于武汉和德尔塔变体，在预防性治疗条件下病毒载量降低高达99%。添加时间试验表明，ME-GP在病毒生命周期的早期起作用，可能是通过干扰病毒进入或进入后立即发生的事件。此外，在人扁桃体中评估了ME-GP，结果表明病毒载量降低了80%，表明其具有减少感染传播和进展的潜力。此外，ME-GP在人扁桃体中表现出抗炎活性，显著降低了白细胞介素-1β、白细胞介素-6、肿瘤坏死因子-α和肿瘤坏死因子-β的水平。因此，本研究突出了纳米包裹绿蜂胶在对抗SARS-CoV-2及其变体方面具有的有前景的预防和治疗潜力，为新冠治疗提供了一种天然辅助手段。
