Development of Systems for Delivery of Antiviral Drugs

Abstract

Ribavirin, a broad-spectrum antiviral agent with potent activity in vitro against a number of important RNA viruses of military significance, is severely limited in its usefulness against virus induced encephalitic diseases because it does not cross the blood-brain barrier well enough to achieve effective antiviral concentrations in the brain. Our efforts are directed toward the brain specific delivery of ribavirin and other antiviral agents by means of redox prodrug concept. The scope of the research program involves the synthesis of CNS-targeted prodrug ester of ribavirin and selenazole, pharmacokinetic studies of drug distribution and sustained delivery of drug in the brain, and the evaluation of the therapeutic efficacy of these antiviral prodrugs compared with the parent drugs in the treatment of lethal Venezuelan equine encephalitis (VEE) virus and Japanese encephalitis (JE) virus infections in mice. Additional in vivo studies with the other ribavirin prodrugs and the first selenazofurin prodrug are planned.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Oct 01, 1987
Accession Number
ADB117759

Entities

People

  • John Iii A. Secrist
  • Lucy M. Rose
  • Patricia E. Noker
  • William M. Shannon

Organizations

  • Southern Research

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Antiviral Agents
  • Arbovirus Infections
  • Biomedical Research
  • Blood-Brain Barrier
  • Brain
  • Diseases And Disorders
  • Encephalitis
  • Equine Encephalitis
  • Infection
  • Rna Viruses
  • Virus Diseases
  • Viruses
  • Wound Infections

Fields of Study

  • Medicine

Readers

  • Virology (or Medical Virology).