[The mechanism of stimforte action on herpesvirus infection.]

Increased protease activity and a significant amount of granzyme B were observed in in organs of mice infected with acute herpes simplex virus HSV-1 with the introduction of Stimforte (100 or 250 µg/mouse). Thus, this drug activates killer cells, which play an extremely important role in the suppression of HSV-1 infection. Although the administration of Stimforte (100 µg/mouse) to intact mice results in the activation of IFN-ß production and does not activate the production of IFN-λ, Stimforte administration to animals infected with HSV-1 reduces production of IFN-ß in serum, brain and lungs, whereas the production of IFN-λ considerably increases as the result of administration of 100 µg/mouse of Stimforte.

Different effects of the immunostimulatory drug Stimforte on infections of hepatitis C virus and herpes simplex virus type 1.

Stimforte, an immune response-stimulating preparation, is active with respect to hepatitis C virus (HCV) and herpes simplex virus type I (HSV-1). The effects of Stimforte in animals infected with either HCV or HSV-1 are fundamentally different. In mice with acute herpes virus infection, Stimforte administration leads to a higher activity of natural killer cells and cytotoxic lymphocytes, and the amount of interferon (IFN) λ grows. In mice infected with HCV, Stimforte administration results in a significant increase in IFN-ß but not IFN-λ in blood and affected organs. Stimforte has been found to affect directly HCV reproduction that causes the infected cell death, but it does not affect HSV-1 reproduction in the Vero cells (V).

INFLUENCE OF IMMUNOMODULATORY DRUG STIMFORTE ON THE EXPERIMENTAL HERPES VIRUS INFECTION IN COMBINATION WITH ACYCLOVIR AND ON HIV-INFECTION IN COMBINATION WITH RETROVIR.

The combined action of the immunostimulatory drug Stimforte and the basic etiotropic drug acyclovir commonly used to treat herpes infections was studied using the model of lethal experimental infection of mice BALB/c with herpes simplex virus type 1. It was found that the interaction of these drugs is additive. In addition, Stimforte inhibits infection caused by a strain of virus, which is highly resistant to acyclovir. When administered 24 hours prior to HIV-1 infection of human lymphoblastoid cells MT-4, Stimforte exhibited reliable antiretroviral activity best expressed during the early period of infection (the 3rd day). On the 6th day of observation the effect was almost completely lost. Combined use of Stimforte at a dose of 50-100 µg/ml with a subthreshold dose of retrovir (0.03 µg/ml) had a synergistic antiviral effect. Thus, Stimforte, which exhibits, on the one hand, antiviral activity against viruses of different families and, on the other hand, the immunomodulatory properties, could be promising as an etiopathogenic tool in helping to normalize both nonspecific and specific immunity. It may be used simultaneously with etiotropic antiviral chemotherapy in treatment of generalized herpes infection in patients with immunodeficiency. Furthermore, Stimforte can be used in the case of development of drug resistance in HSV, in particular, in HIV-infected patients.

Influence of the immunomodulatory drug stimforte on the humoral immune response in the experimental herpes virus infection.

In the study of the immunostimulation preparation Stimforte activity using the model of the experimental herpes virus infection BALB/c, mice has shown that sera from mice treated with the drug on the 4th and 7th day after infection possessed a 3 times greater capability of specifically binding to the culture of HSV-1 (on cells Vero) according to dot blot analysis, as compared with intact infected mice sera obtained at the same time. It was also shown that these sera had a 5 times higher index of neutralization. On the basis of Western blots, it was detected that antibodies from sera of mice treated with Stimforte contacted the glycoproteins gB and gC of HSV-1 significantly better. Thus, Stimforte stimulates one of the strongest modulatory effects on the immune memory and is a promising drug for the treatment of chronic viral diseases.