[Evaluation of the prolonged immunotropic effect of the potential antiparkinson agent himantane]. / Otsenka prolongirovannogo immunotropnogo éffekta gimantana--potsentsial'nogo protivoparkinsonicheskogo sredstva.

A prolonged immunotropic effect of himantane, a new potential antiparkinsonian drug with a multicomponent (including dopaminopositive) mechanism of action, upon the functional activity of splenic B-cells in mice was studied in comparison to the effect of a typical neuroleptic drug haloperidol. A single administration of himantane (10 mg/kg) stimulated the B-cell activity over a period of 21 days, while haloperidol (0.25 mg/kg) suppressed this activity for 14 days after administration. The results of experiments on the adjuvant arthritis (paw edema) model showed that a single administration of himantane in the same dose under these pathological conditions does not influence the immune response (B-cell activity) for 14 days and increases the number of antibody-forming cells only 21 day after injection. Himantane enhanced the model arthritis manifestations in the early stage and reduced them in the late stage. It was established that the pronounced effect of himantane on the activity of immunocompetent cells is probably related to the drug action upon the central mechanisms of immunoregulation (which is consistent with a prolonged effect observed upon a single administration). This immunotropic activity indicates that the drug may affect immunological mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease.

Comparative study of the effects of peptidoglycan monomer and structurally related adamantyltripeptides on humoral immune response to ovalbumin in the mouse.

Peptidoglycan monomer, GlcNAc-MurNAc-L-Ala-D-isoGln-mesoDAP(omega NH2)-D-Ala-D-Ala (PGM) originating from Brevibacterium divaricatum and synthetic adamantyltripeptides, diastereoisomers of D,L-(adamant-2-yl)-Gly-L-Ala-D-isoGln (AdTP1 and AdTP2) exhibit immunomodulating activity. An experimental model in the mouse has been established with suboptimal amounts of ovalbumin (OVA) as the immunogen, and parallel testing of adjuvant activity of these three immunomodulators was carried out in Balb/c, C57B16 or CBA mice. Tested compounds (100 or 200 micrograms/mouse) mixed with OVA in saline (50 micrograms/mouse) were administered s.c. Anti-OVA was assayed by ELISA in the sera of mice taken 7 days after the boosters (given on days 14 and 28). The treatment with PGM and one of the diastereoisomers, AdTP2, resulted in significantly higher increase in anti-OVA IgG levels (stimulation index up to 46) with respect to controls and groups treated with AdTP1. The effect of AdTP2 treatment was comparable to that of PGM in most experiments after the first booster, but after the second booster PGM exhibited markedly better effect. PGM and AdTP2 also induced markedly higher levels of IgG1 and IgG2 anti-OVA subclasses than detected in controls and AdTP1 treated mice, indicating that these two immunomodulators might upregulate both Th1-like and Th2-like immune responses.

[Protective action of remantadine during an influenza outbreak caused by virus A (H1N1) in December 1977]. / Izuchenie zashchitnogo deistviia remantadina vo vremia vspyshki grippa, vyzvannoi virusom A (H1N1), v dekabre 1977 g.

The protective effect of remantadin during an influenza outbreak in December 1977 caused by A (H1N1) virus was studied. A prophylactic administration of remantadin decreased influenza and ARD incidence by 1.5-fold. A more significant decrease of the incidence (2.5-fold) was observed among the subjects given a combination of remantadin and influenza vaccine (H3N2) a few days before the outbreak, which was apparently due to the interferon-inducing capacity of the vaccine.

[Immunotropic activity of adapiprazine]. / Immunotropnaia aktivnost' adapiprazina.

It is shown that the replacement of the ethyl or methyl radical in the molecules of aethaperazine or metherazine with the adamantyl one results in the appearance of a singular immunotropic activity. Such a drug (adapiprazine) exerts an immunodepressive action both on the primary and secondary response of the mice immunized with sheep erythrocytes. The immunodepressive action of adapiprazine is manifest with a low-dosage optimum introduced before immunization. In analogous conditions aethaperazine and metherazine fail to display any immunodepressive action. Adapiprazine arrests the rejection of a skin allotrasplant in mice differing from the donors in the presence of a strong histocompatibility locus. In in vitro tests adapiprazine in a concentration of 10(-5) mol and less has no effect on the spontaneous migration of leucocytes in the capillary, nor upon the process of immune roset-formation.