Y. Ishiwata et al., STUDIES ON THE ANTIVIRAL ACTIVITY OF PROPAGERMANIUM WITH IMMUNOSTIMULATING ACTION, Arzneimittel-Forschung, 44-1(3), 1994, pp. 357-361
The effects of propagermanium (3-oxygermylpropionic acid polymer) on v
arious virus-infected mice were investigated. Propagermanium did not i
nhibit the multiplication of various DNA or RNA viruses in vitro. Oral
administration of propagermanium in mice infected with herpes simplex
virus type I (HSV-1) significantly prolonged the mean survival days.
The efficacy of propagermanium at doses of 1 and 10 mg/kg daily was 13
.4 +/- 2.3 and 14.2 +/- 2.3 mean survival days in comparison with 7.7
+/- 0.5 mean survival days at control group. In vaccinia virus-infecte
d mice, oral doses of propagermanium ranging from 0.2 to 10 mg/kg supp
ressed the number of pocks on the tail which induced by the virus. Pro
pagermanium (0.5-10 mg/kg) orally given to HSV-1-infected mice induced
cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) against HSV-1 antigen. In addition, pro
pagermanium (1-10 mg/kg) enhanced interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) inducti
on in mice treated with Mycobacterium bovis (BCG). In mice spleen cell
s cultured with Concanavalin A, 0.1 to 10 mug/ml of propagermanium sti
mulated interleukin 2 (IL-2) production. It seems likely that the anti
viral activity of propagermanium was exerted via enhancement of host i
mmune resistance against viral infection.