In vivo evaluation of the antiretroviral activity of Melia azedarach against small ruminant lentiviruses in goat colostrum and milk

• Published in: Brazilian journal of microbiology 2024-03, Vol.55 (1), p.875-887
• Main Authors: Souza, Samara Cristina Rocha, Pinheiro, Raymundo Rizaldo, Peixoto, Renato Mesquita, de Sousa, Ana Lídia Madeira, Andrioli, Alice, Lima, Ana Milena César, Mendes, Bárbara Karen Marques, Magalhães, Nathália Maria de Andrade, Amaral, Gabriel Paula, Teixeira, Maria Fátima da Silva
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acetates; Acetic acid; Animals; Antiretroviral agents; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Colostrum; Ethyl acetate; Female; Food Microbiology; Goat Diseases - drug therapy; Goats; HIV Infections; In vivo methods and tests; Lentivirus; Life Sciences; Medical Microbiology; Melia azedarach; Microbial Ecology; Microbial Genetics and Genomics; Microbiology; Milk; Mycology; Plant Extracts; Polymerase chain reaction; Pregnancy; Ruminants; Test animals; Veterinary Microbiology - Research Paper; Weaning
• ISSN: 1517-8382; 1678-4405; 1678-4405
• DOI: 10.1007/s42770-023-01174-0

This study aimed to evaluate in vivo the use of the extract from the leaves of Melia azedarach in the ethyl acetate fraction at a concentration of 150 µg/mL as an antiretroviral treatment against small ruminant lentiviruses (SRLV) in goat colostrum, and milk with a 90-min action. Two groups of six kids were treated with the extract. One group received three supplies of colostrum from does naturally positive for SRLV, treated with the ethyl acetate fraction of M. azedarach (EAF-MA) for three days, while the other group consumed milk from does also carrying the virus with the respective extract twice a day for five days. After undergoing treatment, all animals began to receive thermized milk until weaning (60 days) and were monitored for six months using nested polymerase chain reaction ( n PCR) and western blot (WB) tests. The study revealed cumulative percentages of positive animals in WB or n PCR in the milk group of 66.66% on the seventh day, 83.33% in the following week, and 100% at 120 days, while the colostrum group showed values of 66.66% at 14 days, 83.33% at 90 days, and 100% at 120 days. Variation and intermittency were observed in viral detection, but all animals tested positive in WB or n PCR at some point. A potential delay in infection was observed, which was more significant in the colostrum group. The need for the combination of serological and molecular tests for a more efficient detection of the disease is also emphasized.