Abstract
The polyionic compounds, including dextran sulphates and poly-L-lysines, were evaluated for their inhibitory effect on the cytopathic effect of herpes simplex virus (HSV-1, KOS) in vitro. The anti-HSV activities of poly-L-lysines were found to increase with increasing molecular weight of the polymers. Both dextran sulphates and poly-L-lysines were found to block adsorption of HSV-1 to Vero cells. The inhibitory effect of adsorption of [3H] labelled virus was related to the molecular weight of the polymers. Polymers of higher molecular weight were found to be more effective than the lower molecular weight samples in inhibiting virus adsorption. The results from the microelectrophoresis measurements demonstrated that poly-L-lysines adsorb and confer positive charges on the Vero cells. Dextran sulphates, on the other hand, may adsorb onto the HSV-1 membrane surfaces instead of binding onto the cell membranes and interfere with adsorption of virions to the cells. The inhibitory effects of these polymers on viral cytopathogenic effect were probably attributable to the electrostatic and steric hindrance effects exerted by the polymers as reflected in the difference in zeta potential of cellular membrane treated with these compounds.