Corozo (Bactris guineensis) fruit extract has antiviral activity in vitro against SARS-CoV-2 | Functional Foods in Health and Disease - Online ISSN: 2160-3855; Print ISSN: 2378-7007 Skip to main content Skip to main navigation menu Skip to site footer Open Menu Functional Foods in Health and Disease - Online ISSN: 2160-3855; Print ISSN: 2378-7007 Home Food Science Publisher Functional Food Center Current Archives About About the Journal Aims and Scope Contact Editing Services Editorial Team Express Peer Review Graphical Abstract Journal Insights Privacy Statement Submissions Announcements Search Search Register Login Home / Archives / Vol. 12 No. 9 (2022): September 2022 / Research Articles Corozo (Bactris guineensis) fruit extract has antiviral activity in vitro against SARS-CoV-2 Authors Tania Jaimes-Gualdrón Laboratorio Ciencia de los Alimentos, Universidad Nacional de Colombia Sede Medellín, Colombia Lizdany Flórez-Álvarez Grupo Inmunovirología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Antioquia UdeA, Medellín, Colombia María Isabel Zapata-Cardona Grupo Inmunovirología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Antioquia UdeA, Medellín, Colombia Benjamín Alberto Rojano Laboratorio Ciencia de los Alimentos, Universidad Nacional de Colombia Sede Medellín, Colombia. María Teresa Rugeles Grupo Inmunovirología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Antioquia UdeA, Medellín, Colombia Wildeman Zapata-Builes Grupo Infettare, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia, Medellín, Colombia DOI: https://doi.org/10.31989/ffhd.v12i9.918 Abstract Background: Given the current COVID-19 pandemic, numerous drug development studies are being carried out for the treatment and control of this disease. This study aimed to evaluate the in vitro antiviral potential of Corozo fruit extract (Bactris guineensis) against SARS-CoV-2. Methods: Corozo extract (CE) was prepared from the pulp of mature Corozo fruits. The total content of phenols, flavonoids, and anthocyanins in the extracts was determined using the Folin-Ciocalteu, aluminum chloride, and pH differential methods, respectively. The cytotoxicity on Vero E6 cells was evaluated by MTT assay. Antiviral activity was evaluated by pre-post-treatment using a Colombian isolate of SARS-CoV-2. Viral titer was quantified by plaque assay. Results: Anthocyanin concentration of CE was 144.95 ± 10.3 mg cyanidin-3-glucoside/L. The cytotoxicity of CE on Vero E6 was lower to 20 % at 15.6 g/L. Corozo extract inhibited SARS-CoV-2 at 15.6, 7.8, 3.9 and 1.9 g/L with inhibition percentages of 88.2%, 84%, 59.6% and 56.3%, respectively. Conclusion: This is the first report on the in vitro antiviral effect of Corozo fruit extract against SARS-CoV-2. Since this is a natural product, proven safe for consumption, in the future and with further studies, it could be considered an important functional food that can be useful in preventing strategies to fight against COVID-19. Keywords: Bactris guineensis, Corozo fruit, antiviral activity, SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19. Downloads [Abstract] [Full Article] Published 2022-09-15 Issue Vol. 12 No. 9 (2022): September 2022 Section Research Articles License Authors retain the copyright of their articles and grant the Functional Food Center (FFC) and its journals the right of first publication under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, including commercial use, provided the original author(s) and source are properly credited. Authors may post and share their published work freely, provided that the original publication in this journal is acknowledged. By submitting to this journal, authors confirm that their manuscripts are original, not under consideration elsewhere, and that they hold the necessary rights to grant this license. The Functional Food Center encourages open scientific exchange and allows derivative and extended works, provided attribution to the original publication is maintained. About the Journal      Editing Services      Graphical Abstract      Journal Insights        Submissions        Editorial Team       Privacy Statement        Contact        Current        Archives   Open Journal Systems Hosting and Support by: OpenJournalSystems.com