EFFECT OF ISOPRINOSINE ON ROTAVIRUS REPLICATION IN-VITRO

Isoprinosine (IFS) is a synthetic drug whose antiviral effect on rotav irus replication in vitro has been characterized in terms of the Rotav irus decrease in metachromasia after acridine orange staining, The pre sent study describes the effect of IFS on the synthesis of viral RNA i n vitro. MA-104 cell cultures infected with simian rotavirus strain SA -11 were incubated with zero, 250, 500 and 1,000 mu g/ml IPS and 22, 2 4, 48, 52, 72 and 76 h after infection the cultures were submitted to a l-h starvation period, followed by a 2-h pulse with 10 mu Ci/ml of [ H-3]-uridine. The homogenates of virus-infected cultures treated or no t with IFS were submitted to phenol/chloroform extraction followed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The amount of radioactivity in vir al RNA eluted from the gel strips was determined, Inhibition of viral RNA synthesis was highest at the TPS concentration of 1,000 mu g/ml at 72 h after infection, corresponding to 78% inhibition. Although the r esults obtained in vitro suggest that IFS may be useful for the treatm ent of rotavirus infection, an in vivo demonstration of its efficacy i s needed.