Effect of treatment with 1-beta-D-arabinofuranosylthymine of experimental encephalitis induced by herpes simplex virus in mice.
1-beta-D-Arabinofuranosylthymine (ara-T) was examined for its therapeutic efficacy against encephalitis in mice inoculated intracerebrally with herpes simplex virus. Intraperitoneal treatment with 100 mg of ara-T per kg twice daily for 4.5 days was as effective as treatment with 50 mg of arabinosyladenine 5'-monophosphate per kg. Under the same conditions, doses of 5-iododeoxyuridine or arabinosylcytosine (50 mg/kg each) were not effective. Even when the virus inoculum was as high as 320 or 3,200 50% lethal doses, ara-T increased the life span significantly. Oral treatment with 27 mg of ara-T per kg produced a modest increase in the mean survival time, equal to that of 50 mg of ara-T per kg administered intraperitoneally or subcutaneously. A single dose of ara-T, 800 mg/kg intraperitoneally or 400 mg/kg orally, was effective. The 50% lethal dose of ara-T administered intraperitoneally and that administered orally were more than 10 and 15 g/kg, respectively. The therapeutic indexes (maximal tolerated dose divided by minimal effective dose) in multiple intraperitoneal treatments and in multiple oral treatments were estimated to be more than 25 and 100, respectively.
D000818:Animals; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use* / Q000633:toxicity; D001087:Arabinonucleosides / Q000627:therapeutic use* / Q000633:toxicity; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004660:Encephalitis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D006561:Herpes Simplex / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology; D007928:Lethal Dose 50; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D013936:Thymidine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use / Q000633:toxicity; D013997:Time Factors
D000998:Antiviral Agents; D001087:Arabinonucleosides; C010032:thymine arabinoside; D013936:Thymidine