APPLICATION OF VARIOUS ANTIOXIDANTS IN THE TREATMENT OF INFLUENZA

We determined the effect of the antioxidants superoxide dismutase, des ferrioxamine and allopurinol on the survival of male CBA mice infected intranasally with 2-5 LD50 lung influenza virus A/Aichi/2/68. Surviva l for at least 20 days was observed for 45% of the mice that received 1000 U/day superoxide dismutase prepared from red blood cells on days 5, 6, 7 and 8 after infection, and 75% survival was observed for mice that received the same dose on days 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8. Desferrioxamine, 25 mg/kg per day and 100 mg/kg per day injected subcutaneously, resul ted in survival rates of 5 and 0%, respectively, compared to 10% survi val observed for saline-injected controls. Allopurinol at doses of 5 t o 50 mg/kg per day had no effect on mouse survival. These data demonst rate the efficacy of superoxide dismutase for the protection of mice a gainst hemorrhagic lung edema. The ineffectiveness of allopurinol sugg ests that the xanthine oxidase system does not play a major role in he morrhage or lung edema and that caution is necessary when desferrioxam ine is administered during an acute inflammatory process accompanied b y erythrocyte lysis.