This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Shigeta, S Articles by De Clercq, E Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Shigeta, S Articles by De Clercq, E

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1988 June; 32(6): 906-911

Comparative activities of several nucleoside analogs against influenza A, B, and C viruses in vitro.

Department of Bacteriology, Fukushima Medical College, Japan.

ABSTRACT

A set of 20 nucleoside analogs were examined for their inhibitory effects on the cytopathogenicity and growth of influenza virus type A, B, and C strains in Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells. Among the compounds evaluated, pyrazofurin, 3-deazaguanine, ribavirin, carbodine, and cyclopentenyl cytosine inhibited viral cytopathogenicity at concentrations that were lower than those found cytotoxic for the MDCK cells. No differences were observed in the 50% effective doses (based on inhibition of viral cytopathogenicity) of these five compounds for a number of influenza virus type A (subtypes H1N1 and H3N2), B, and C strains. Pyrazofurin showed the lowest 50% effective dose (0.15 microgram/ml), which was about 20- to 30-fold lower than those of the other four compounds. The selectivity indices of the five compounds, calculated as the ratio of the 50% cytotoxic dose (determined by trypan blue exclusion) to the 50% effective dose, were greater than 100. When the selectivity indices were calculated as the ratios of the 50% inhibitory doses for cellular RNA synthesis to the 50% effective doses, they were greater than 100 for ribavirin, pyrazofurin, and 3-deazaguanine but less than 2 for carbodine and cyclopentenyl cytosine. All five compounds inhibited the growth of influenza virus types A and B in MDCK cells at a concentration which was well below their cytotoxicity threshold for MDCK cells and, therefore, deserve further exploration for their potential in the treatment of influenza virus type A, B, and C infections.