Antiviral ionic complex of linear polyarginine - and natural double-chain ribonucleic acid or its derivative

摘要

Antiviral substance comprises a mainly ionic complex in which the cationic part is a linear polyarginine having at least 5 arginine units and the anionic part is (a) a double chain ribonucleic acid polyanion, the double chain ribonucleic acid being of natural origin or (b) a polyanion of a double chain deriv. of a natural double chain ribonucleic acid. The complexes are antivirals with a broad spectrum of activity against both RNA and DNA viruses e.g. encephalomyocarditis (EMC) virus, Semlike Forest virus, foot and mouth disease virus and Herpes Simplex. At least part of their activity is due to induction of interferons in the cells of the host. The LD50 in mice of these complexes is less than the LD50 of the RNA alone.