Back to Journals » Drug Design, Development and Therapy » Volume 3

Effect of combinations of antiviral drugs on herpes simplex encephalitis

Authors Gebhardt BM, Focher F, Eberle R, Manikowski A, Wright GE

Published 9 December 2009 Volume 2009:3 Pages 289—294

DOI https://doi.org/10.2147/DDDT.S8133

Review by Single anonymous peer review

Peer reviewer comments 2



Bryan M Gebhardt1, Federico Focher2, Richard Eberle3, Andrzej Manikowski4, George E Wright4

1LSU Eye Center, Department of Ophthalmology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA, USA; 2Istituto di Genetica Molecolare, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Pavia, Italy; 3Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Center for Veterinary Health Sciences, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA; 4GLSynthesis Inc., Worcester, MA, USA

Abstract: 2-Phenylamino-6-oxo-9-(4-hydroxybutyl)purine (HBPG) is a thymidine kinase inhibitor that prevents encephalitic death in mice caused by herpes simplex virus (HSV) types 1 and 2, although its potency is somewhat less than that of acyclovir (ACV). The present study was undertaken to determine the effect of combinations of HBPG and either ACV, phosphonoformate (PFA), or cidofovir (CDF) against HSV encephalitis. BALB/c mice were given ocular infections with HSV-1 or HSV-2, and treated twice daily intraperitoneally for five days with HBPG, alone or in combination with ACV, PFA, or CDF. Animals were observed daily for up to 30 days, and the day of death of each was recorded. All of the combinations showed additivity, and the combination of HBPG + ACV appeared to be synergistic, ie, protected more mice against HSV-1 encephalitis compared with each drug given alone. Delay of treatment with HBPG for up to two days was still effective in preventing HSV-2 encephalitis. The combination of the thymidine kinase inhibitor HBPG and the antiherpes drug ACV may have synergistic activity against HSV encephalitis. The development of a potent and safe combination therapy for the prevention and/or treatment of HSV infection of the central nervous system can improve the outcome of this infection in humans.

Keywords: antivirals, herpetic encephalitis

Creative Commons License © 2009 The Author(s). This work is published and licensed by Dove Medical Press Limited. The full terms of this license are available at https://www.dovepress.com/terms.php and incorporate the Creative Commons Attribution - Non Commercial (unported, v3.0) License. By accessing the work you hereby accept the Terms. Non-commercial uses of the work are permitted without any further permission from Dove Medical Press Limited, provided the work is properly attributed. For permission for commercial use of this work, please see paragraphs 4.2 and 5 of our Terms.