Abstract
Purpose: :
Interferons (IFNs) are currently used for hepatitis B and C virus infection, the effect of IFNs against adenovirus (AdV) has not been elucidated. It has been reported that IFN-β and IFN-γ were effective against AdV serotype 3. We investigated the anti-adenoviral effect of IFN-β and IFN-γ in serotypes that cause acute keratoconjunctivitis, using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in vitro.
Methods: :
Experimental study carried out in a university.Five strains of different serotypes of AdV, types 3 (AdV3; species B), 4 (species E), 8, 19a and 37 (species D) and IFN-β and IFN-γ for in vitro assay. After pretreatment of A549 with serial dilution of IFNs for 24 h, adenovirus was cultivated for 7 days, and adenoviral DNA was quantitatively measured by real-time PCR.The main outcome measures were the number of virus copies after treatment and the 50% effective concentration (EC50).
Results: :
IFN-β showed a dose-dependent inhibitory effect on all serotypes. EC50 of IFN-β ranged between 211 and 843 IU/ml. A similar tendency was observed with IFN-γ. EC50 of IFN-γ ranged between 133 and 9130 IU/ml. Among the serotypes, IFN-γ exhibited the greatest inhibitory effect on AdV37. In contrast, AdV4 showed the lowest sensitivity to IFN-γ. Statistically significant dose-dependency for both IFN-β and IFN-γ was observed in several serotypes.
Conclusions: :
These results suggest that both IFN-β and IFN-γ have anti-adenoviral activity in vitro. IFNs have the potential to be used for local treatment of adenoviral keratoconjunctivitis, although further evaluation in animal models and clinical trials is necessary.
Keywords: adenovirus • conjunctiva • clinical laboratory testing