In vitro toxicity evaluation of the carrier systems for development of long-term repellent in 2D, co-culture and 3D models

Abstract

The combat to mosquito vectors of diseases is an area of interest, especially after outbreaks of Dengue and Zika occurred in recent years. One of the forms of combat is the use of repellents that push away the vectors. Different chemical agents are used for this purpose, but there are reports of toxicity of these compounds. Because this, new alternatives for the use of botanical agents with repellency capacity are searched, but some problems were found, such as high volatility. In an attempt to increase efficiency and decrease toxicity, it is proposed to use polymeric micro/nanoparticles for the dispersion of active compounds, since they potentially increase the efficiency of the compounds, promoting sustained release. However, there is a need to assess the toxicity of the compounds. Repellents are currently classified as cosmetics, so for the evaluation of toxicity animal studies are not allowed, which requires further in vitro studies. This proposal aims to evaluate the toxicity of zein polymer micro/nanoparticle carrier systems containing the icaridine and geraniol repellents as a more efficient and prolonged system for vector mosquito repellency. For this purpose, micro/nanoparticles synthesized will be evaluated using in vitro tests (2D cell culture, co-cultures and 3D model) in relation to their cytotoxicity, oxidative stress, apoptosis, necrosis, cutaneous irritation evaluation, detection of secreted cytokines (IL) -1 (IL-1ra, IL-6, IL-8 and GM-CSF) and quantification of the expression of genes linked to allergic/inflammatory reaction. As results, it is expected that the micro/nanorepellents developed will present lower toxicity and that it will be possible to compare the different in vitro test models proposed, and that these analysis contribute to the studies of the evaluation of nanocomposites. (AU)