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A solid-phase immunoadsorbent capable of binding mouse interferon has been prepared. Starting from crude tissue-culture material, interferon could be purified 1990 times in a single step of affinity chromatography. Overall recovery ranged from 55 to 103% with tissue culture and mouse-brain interferon; however, only 5% was obtained with Sendai virus-induced interferon from mouse serum.Studies concerning the nature, and especially the mode of action, of the antiviral protein interferon consistently have been hampered by the lack of readily available, relatively pure material.Previously described methods for purification of interferon have depended upon physicochemical properties of the molecule such as size, charge, and differential solubility (1, 2). Alternatively, affinity chromatography, which is a method of separation based on biological specificity or antigenicity, would seem particularly well suited for the purification of interferon, which is present in extremely low concentrations in biological materials (3). The technique, using antibodies covalently attached to cyanogen bromide-activated agarose (4, 5), has been used to purify several antigens (6).We report here the preparation of a solid-phase immunoadsorbent for mouse interferon and describe its applicability for binding mouse interferon from several sources. These include the culture medium of induced mouse-embryo fibroblasts, mouse serum, and partially purified interferon from mouse brain. MATERIALS AND METHODS InterferonsTissue Culture Interferon was prepared in secondary cultures of Swiss mouse-embryo fibroblasts by induction with Newcastle disease virus (NDV). The culture medium during induction was Eagle's minimal essential medium, enriched with 5% inactivated (30 min at 56°) calf serum. 24 hr after onset of induction, the culture fluids were harvested, acidified to pH 2.5, and left at 40 for 21 days. The fluids were then clarified by centrifugation at 4000 X g for 15 min and stored at -25°until use.Mouse-Serum Interferon was induced through intravenous inoculation of C57BL/6 mice with Sendai virus; sera were obtained from the inoculated mice 12 hr later and stored at -20°.Mouse-Brain Interferon was obtained through courtesy of I. Gresser. It had been extracted from IC mice inoculated with West Nile virus and partially purified by differential centrifugation and acidification (7). Interferon assayInterferon titers were determined by a plaque-reduction method in L cells, with vesicular stomatitis virus as challenge. One unit is defined as the minimal amount necessary to reduce the plaque number by 50%. One of our units corresponds to six international-reference units of mouse interferon.Special care was taken to characterize the antiviral activity obtained after desorption, to ascertain that all activity measured was attributable to interferon. Species specificity was determined through complete lack of activity against vesicular stomatitis virus in chick-embryo fibroblast cultures and in two lines of simian cells, VERO and ES1. Furthermo...

Herpetic keratitis induced in rabbit eyes was experimentally treated with triterpene saponins from Anagallis arvensis (Prnnulaceae) and antiviral drugs: idoxuridine, adenine arabinoside, and acycloguanosine. Saponin ointment appeared to be as effective as adenine arabinoside and from days 10 to 14 post inoculation was better than idoxuridine; the most active compound being acycloguanosine.

Within a valorization program of natural regional resources, 50 ethanolic extracts of 41 indigenous plants have been subjected to chemical tests and antiviral screening. Four plants: Bryonia dioìca, Anthyllis vulneraria, Matricaria chamomilla, and M. inodora inhibit the growth of poliovirus. Furthermore, three (A. vulneraria, M. Chamomilla, and M. inodora) have an antiherpetic effect.

An electron microscope study has been made of vitally stained single cells whose cytoplasm has been subjected to a localized ruby laser microbeam. Light and moderate laser absorption (the resultant of stain concentration and laser energy density) produced restricted selective damage of mitochondria in cells stained with Janus green B; heavy laser absorption resulted in mitochondrial damage, as well as in nonselective interaction with other cell structures. With four other basic vital stains, the polysomes, ergastoplasm, mitochondria and other organelles at the irradiated site were uniformly damaged. Unstained cells showed no morphological alterations. With light primary damage (that restricted to the irradiation site), no secondary effects of the incident radiation were observed. With moderate primary damage, however, secondary damage of the mitochondria in the unirradiated cell portions was produced, which was reversible within 4 hr after irradiation. Heavy primary lesions caused severe secondary alteration of all cell structures that was irreversible and cell death occurred within 2 hr. Surviving ceils examined 24 hr after light and moderate irradiation could not be distinguished from unirradiated controls. The possible mechanisms involved in the production of laser-induced cellular alterations are discussed.