Interferon Gamma(Materia Medica Holding Research And Production Company)

Rhinoviruses (RVs) cause the common cold and are associated with exacerbations of chronic inflammatory respiratory diseases, especially asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We have assessed the antiviral drugs Anaferon for Children (AC) and Ergoferon (containing AC as one of the active pharmaceutical ingredients) in in vitro and in vivo experimental models, in order to evaluate their anti-rhinoviral and immunomodulatory potential. HeLa cells were pretreated with AC, and levels of the interferon-stimulated gene (ISG), 2'-5'-oligoadenylate synthetase 1 (OAS1-A) and viral replication were analyzed. In a mouse model of RV-induced exacerbation of allergic airway inflammation we administered Ergoferon and analyzed its effect on type I (IFN-β), type II (IFN-γ) and type III (IFN-λ) IFNs induction, cell counts in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL), cytokine (interleukin (IL)-4; IL-6) and chemokine (CXCL10/IP-10; CXCL1/KC) levels. It was shown that AC increased OAS1-А production and significantly decreased viral replication in vitro. Increased IFNs expression together with reduced neutrophils/lymphocytes recruitment and correlated IL-4/IL-6 declination was demonstrated for Ergoferon in vivo. However, there was no effect on examined chemokines. We conclude that AC and Ergoferon possess effects against RV infection and may have potential as novel therapies against RV-induced exacerbations of asthma.

The assessment of dose-response is an essential part of drug development in terms of the determination of a drug's effective dose, finding the safety endpoint, estimation of the pharmacokinetic profile, and even validation of drug activity, especially for therapeutic agents with a principally novel mechanism of action. Drugs based on released-active forms of antibodies are a good example of such a target. In this study, the efficacy of the antiviral drug Anaferon for children (released-active form of antibodies to interferon-gamma) was tested in a dose-dependent manner (at doses of 0.13, 0.2, 0.4, 0.8 ml/mouse/day) in a murine model of acute pneumonia induced by influenza virus pandemic strain A/California/07/09 (H1N1). Administration of the drug at the two highest doses led to: a reduction in the virus infectious titer in lung tissue up to 4.2 lgEID50/20 mg of tissue; infected animals' life prolongation up to 6.7 days; an increase in the survival rate of up to 40% and a decrease in morphological signs of inflammation when compared to the control animals. In this study, the dose-response effect of Anaferon for Children was demonstrated on mice for the first time. This finding is especially important for drugs with a principally novel mechanism of action like drugs based on released-active forms of antibodies. J. Med. Virol. 89:759-766, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.