[Antiviral activity of polyprenylphosphates in experimental infection caused by hepatitis C virus in vitro].

Aim: Study antiviral effect of sodium polyprenylphosphate (PPP) in experimental infection model caused by hepatitis C virus (HCV) in cell culture.

Materials And Methods: Cytopathogenic variant of HCV isolated from blood serum of a chronically infected patient was used. HCV infectious dose was 10.0 TCD50. Highly sensitive to cytopathogenic effect of HCV continuous swine embryo kidney cells (SPEV) as 1 day monolayer grown in 24 well plastic plates on 199 medium with 10% calf serum with addition of L-glutamine and antibiotics (100 U/ml) were used. PPP was used in concentrations that do not have cytotoxic effect (from 60 to 7.5 microg in 50 microl); introduced into SPEV cell cultures immediately after infection, 24 hours before or 24 hours after the infection of cells with HCV. Infectious activity of HCV was evaluated by using Reed-Muench formula based on results of medium samples titration obtained 3 days after the infection of cells.

Results: PPP was shown to have antiviral properties when added into the cell cultures immediately after the infection with HCV. Under the effect of PPP HCV titers were established to decrease by 3.0 lg (PPV dose of 60 microg) and by 1.9 lg (PPV dose of 30 microg). Positive effect was also obtained for prophylactic use of PPP. When PPP at a dose of 60 microg was introduced 24 hours before the infection of SPEV with HCV, the titer of the virus decreased by 3.5 lg. Prophylactic administration of low doses of the preparation (7.5 and 15.0 microg) also showed evident antiviral effect (decrease of infectious activity of HCV by 3.2 - 2.3 lg, respectively).

Conclusion: PPP at the doses tested has an ability to reduce concentration of HCV in SPEV cell cultures when added immediately after infection or 24 hours before.