[Iododeoxyuridine metabolism in the oral tissues and its alteration in infection by the herpes simplex virus].

In healthy white rats [125I]-desoxyuridine, [3H]-thymidine, 2-[14C]-uracyl, 8-[14C]-adenine and [3H)-uridine were used to demonstrate that the [125I]-desoxyuridine metabolism in oral mucosa is analogous to that of thymidine and different from metabolic pathways of another nucleoside uridine and nitrogen purine and pyrimidine bases of adenine and uracyl. In rats infected with herpes simplex virus, the relative tissue/blood 123I radioactivity increased after a [125I]-desoxyuridine injection. The authors suggest that the mechanism of [125I]-desoxyuridine action relies on its involvement into the viral host cell DNA.