Carragenana extraída da macroalga Gigartina skottsbergii: uma proposta molecular de sonda para a detecção do vírus SARS-CoV-2

Abstract

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared a pandemic caused by the SARS CoV-2 (COVID-19) infection that has spread rapidly across the world. COVID-19 usually causes symptoms 2 to 14 days after infection. The screening of these patients is considered essential for the management of viral contamination, as it is a disease with rapid transmission without cure, early diagnosis has been shown to be fundamental in the evaluation of suspected cases, especially regarding the levels of contagion. For this, specimens of Gigartina skottsbergii were collected in the Chilean subantarctic ecoregion. Carrageenan was extracted, characterized and quantified. After a 24-hour incubation with an inactivated SARS-CoV-2 viral suspension, the test was performed to assess the ability of carrageenan to bind to SARS-CoV-2. Viral RNA bound to the probe was then quantified using the reverse transcription method (RT qPCR) and the reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification assay method (RT-LAMP). From the results, it was found that seaweed carrageenan has a spectrum similar to commercial carrageenan that achieved an excellent binding ratio to SARS-CoV-2, with a yield of 8.3%, together with viral RNA was detected in the RT assay. -LAMP. This study shows, for the first time, the binding capacity of carrageenan extracted from Chilean subantarctic seaweeds, endowed with low cost and high efficiency for binding to SARS-CoV-2 viral particles.