Stimulation of mouse resistance to bacterial infection with muramyl dipeptide glycoside.

We studied the capacity of 9 new muramyl dipeptide glycosides to stimulate mouse resistance to experimental sepsis induced by intraperitoneal injection of salmonella typhimurium culture. Preventive intraperitoneal injections of muramyl dipeptide beta-glycosides better improved survival of infected animals compared to the original (unmodified) muramyl dipeptide and muramyl dipeptide alpha-glycosides. The most effective drug muramyl dipeptide beta-heptylglycoside injected during sepsis development also reduced animal mortality, decreased bacterial contamination of the viscera, and increased phagocytic activity of peritoneal macrophages in infected animals.