SUPPRESSION OF INFECTIOUS VIRUS SPREAD AND CORNEAL OPACIFICATION BY THE COMBINED USE OF RECOMBINANT INTERFERON-BETA AND INTERLEUKIN-10 FOLLOWING CORNEAL INFECTION WITH HERPES-SIMPLEX VIRUS-1 IN MICE

The effects of Interleukin-10 (IL-10) and recombinant murine interfero n-beta (rMuIFN-beta) on experimental corneal herpes simplex virus 1 (H SV-1) inoculation in BALB/c mice were examined. The mice were inoculat ed with the HSV-I strain KOS at their corneas after abrasion. IL-10 wa s then administered topically once a day for 10 days beginning 2 days post inoculation, while rMuIFN-beta was administered once a day for 10 days beginning I day post inoculation. The local viral growth in the inoculated eyes and trigeminal ganglia was reduced in the rMuIFN-beta- treated mice but not in the IL-10-treated mice. In the mice treated wi th both rMuIFN-beta and IL-10, the degree of both the local viral grow th and corneal opacification decreased. The establishment of HSV-1 lat ency in the trigeminal ganglia was partially prevented by rMuIFN-beta treatment but not by IL-10 treatment. The combined use of the cytokine s resulted in both the suppression of viral spread and the prevention of corneal inflammation induced by HSV-1 infection. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.