Treatment of Mengovirus Infection in Mice with Statolon

Abstract

A single intraperitoneal injection of statolon was shown to exert a therapeutic effect on mice previously injected with the large plaque-forming variant of mengovirus. The LD50 and survival time data demonstrated that such treatment was effective when given 2 to 48 hr after infection. No protective effect was apparent when statolon was administered 3, 4, or 5 days after the viral challenge. It was concluded that statolon, or other similar interferon inducers, may be of therapeutic value in instances of accidental or other known exposure to hazardous viral agents.

Influence of Statolon on Resistance of Mice to Influenza

“…The studies described thus far have indicated that treatment with statolon at various times before or after infection with influenza virus had no demonstrable effect on the course of the ensuing disease. Inasmuch as these findings were contrary to the results from previous studies with intraperitoneally inoculated mengovirus (17,21,22), the following possible explanations of the present observations were postulated and studied. (i) The interferon-inducing potency of the statolon preparation may have been impaired; although the same preparation was used successfully in earlier experiments with mengovirus, some deterioration may have occurred during storage.…”

“…Significantly fewer animals succumbed in the treated group, and those which did die lived longer (P < 0.005) than those in the untreated control group (Table 2). These results demonstrated that statolon- induced interferon protected mice against intranasally inoculated mengovirus to a degree similar to that found in earlier studies when the virus was inoculated by the intraperitoneal route (17,22).…”

“…Several possible causes for the discrepancy in the effect of statolon on influenza and other virus infections were postulated and studied. Thus, it was shown that the absence of a reduction in the mortality of mice challenged with influenza virus could not be explained by deterioration of the statolon preparation during storage, since, in mice challenged intraperitoneally with mengovirus, it produced essentially the same degree of protection as previously reported (17,22). Also, interferon was found in the serum of treated mice.…”

“…Based on the present knowledge of the broad spectrum of effectiveness of interferons against many unrelated viruses, and the effectiveness of statolon-induced interferon against other viruses (4,11,17,18,21,22), it would seem reasonable to expect that an injection of statolon might lead to a noticeable suppression of infection with influenza virus. Yet, in our experience, doses of statolon known to induce maximal titers of circulating interferon (11) failed to reduce the mortality of challenged mice, regardless of the time of the statolon treatment before or after infection ( Table 1).…”

“…Prophylactic treatment with statolon has protected animals against lethal doses of several viruses (4,11,21,22). Its limited usefulness as a therapeutic agent also has been reported (17).…”