Protective effect of recombinant murine interferon beta against mouse hepatitis virus infection.
Recombinant murine interferon beta (rMuIFN-beta) protected susceptible C57BL/6 mice against lethal mouse hepatitis virus (MHV) infection. rMuIFN-beta was life saving if it was given intraperitoneally beginning 21 h before infection and daily thereafter for 9 days, and lengthened the survival time if given from 3 h after infection. rMuIFN-beta treatment beginning 24 h after infection was ineffective. The survival rate was dose-dependent, and the 50% effective dose of rMuIFN-beta for survival was 1780 IU per day. rMuIFN-beta pretreatment inhibited virus growth completely in the brain and moderately in the liver and spleen and prevented severe hepatic lesions. rMuIFN-beta also protected beige mice and cyclophosphamide-treated mice against MHV infection, suggesting that activation of natural killer cells or T-cells by rMuIFN-beta is not critical for protection.
Minagawa
H
H
Department of Virology, School of Medicine, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.
Takenaka
A
A
Mohri
S
S
Mori
R
R
D000818:Animals; D003520:Cyclophosphamide / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006524:Hepatitis, Viral, Animal / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D007370:Interferon Type I / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008099:Liver / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D006517:Murine hepatitis virus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D007370:Interferon Type I; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D003520:Cyclophosphamide