The novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has been affecting the world, causing severe pneumonia and acute respiratory syndrome, leading people to death. Therefore, the search for anti-SARS-CoV-2 compounds is pivotal for public health. Natural products may present sources of bioactive compounds; among them, flavonoids are known in literature for their antiviral activity. Siparuna species are used in Brazilian folk medicine for the treatment of colds and flu. This work describes the isolation of 3,3′,4′-tri-O-methyl-quercetin, 3,7,3′,4′-tetra-O-methyl-quercetin (retusin), and 3,7-di-O-methyl-kaempferol (kumatakenin) from the dichloromethane extract of leaves of Siparuna cristata (Poepp. & Endl.) A.DC., Siparunaceae, using high-speed countercurrent chromatography in addition to the investigation of their inhibitory effect against SARS-CoV-2 viral replication. Retusin and kumatakenin inhibited SARS-CoV-2 replication in Vero E6 and Calu-3 cells, with a selective index greater than lopinavir/ritonavir and chloroquine, used as control. Flavonoids and their derivatives may stand for target compounds to be tested in future clinical trials to enrich the drug arsenal against coronavirus infections.

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The biosensor consists of an optical sensing system and an optoelectronic data acquisition system. The sensor’s optical system consists of a biochemically functionalized polymer optical fiber (POF-Plastic Optical Fiber) based on Field Evanescent technology. The Evanescent Field technique has been widely adopted in sensing and in this project, it was obtained by bending the fiber in a “U” shape, aiming to increase the sensitivity of the biosensor, through the contact of the curved sensor part with the sample biological. A data acquisition system was developed through an optoelectronic project aiming to increase the sensitivity when compared to a commercial equipment acquisition system. This work presents a biosensor for the detection of Escherichia coli based on an evanescent field with a polymer optical fiber linked to the analog signal acquisition system through an optoelectronic system developed. The interaction investigation of antibodies and antigens in Escherichia coli for computational methods was carried out in order to obtain information about the action of the antibody and in future steps applied in the validation of the diagnostic method.

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O desenvolvimento de fármacos demanda tempo e recursos financeiros devido às muitas fases experimentais envolvidas no processo. Com a evolução tecnológica, a utilização de ferramentas de bioinformática possibilitou a otimização de etapas como a triagem de um grande número de compostos e avaliação de propriedades farmacocinéticas e toxicológicas. Atualmente, a predição dos parâmetros de Absorção, Distribuição, Metabolismo, Excreção e Toxicidade (ADMETox) pode ser realizada através de programas computacionais e servidores web. No presente trabalho, serão esclarecidos alguns conceitos relacionados à farmacocinética, além da exemplificação de preditores disponíveis e algumas de suas funcionalidades.