Inhibition of coxsackievirus B3 carrier state infection of cultured human myocardial fibroblasts by ribavirin and human natural interferon-alpha
Abstract
As enterovirus infections of the heart cause myocarditis and eventually congestive heart failure, the antiviral activity of ribavirin was studied in coxsackie virus B3 (CVB3)-infected carrier cultures of human myocardial fibroblasts. Cultures were infected 7 days before application of ribavirin and effects were evaluated over a period of 16 days by plaque assays and in situ hybridization. Compared to the low antiviral activity in HeLa cells, ribavirin was highly active in reducing infectious virus yields in human myocardial fibroblasts, for example, to 2.0 x 10(3) pfu/ml with 25 microg/ml and to 1.3 x 10(2) pfu/ml with 50 microg/ml (4.3 x 10(4) pfu/ml in infected controls). Moreover, 100 microg ribavirin/ml completely suppressed infectious virus progeny in two of three cultures, and reduced the number of infected cells from 14.3 to 0.3% as determined by in situ hybridization, whereas up to 3200 microg ribavirin/ml did not result in a significant cytotoxic effect. Interaction with interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) was additive to slightly synergistic in reducing the number of infected cells and virus yields. In conclusion, our results suggest a cell-specific high activity of ribavirin in human myocardial fibroblasts and indicate the ...Continue Reading
References
Coxsackie B3 virus can replicate in cultured human foetal heart cells and is inhibited by interferon
Citations
Inhibition of coxsackievirus B4 replication in stably transfected cells expressing human MxA protein
Related Concepts
Related Feeds
Antivirals (ASM)
Antivirals are medications that are used specifically for treating viral infections. Discover the latest research on antivirals here.
Cardiomyopathy
Cardiomyopathy is a disease of the heart muscle, that can lead to muscular or electrical dysfunction of the heart. It is often an irreversible disease that is associated with a poor prognosis. There are different causes and classifications of cardiomyopathies. Here are the latest discoveries pertaining to this disease.
Antivirals
Antivirals are medications that are used specifically for treating viral infections. Discover the latest research on antivirals here.