AIM To investigate the antivirus effects of
Angelica polysaccharide sulfate (APS) on L6565 murine leukemia virus and discuss
the possibility of APS on AIDS therapy. METHODS(The model was set) up by infecting infant mice with L6565 murine leukemia virus. Quantitative RT-PCR method was used to measure viral load in plasma. The
percentage of CD4~+ and CD8~+ lymphacytes was estimated by flowcytometric method and the ratio of CD4~+/CD8~+ was calculated. The number of WBC, RBC and marrow karyote was counted, index of immune organs was weighed and calculated. RESULTS Compared with control, the viral load in plasma in the mice infected with the virus was at high level (4165±198). The percentage of CD4~+ lymphocyte(18.2±(4.9), the) ratio of CD4~+/CD8~+, the number of RBC and marrow karyote, and thymus index were significantly decreased in the model mice, while the number of WBC and spleen index were remarkably increased (P<0.05 or P<0.01, n=10). But at 10 and 30 mg·kg~(-1), compared with model, the viral load in plasma (3328±103 and 3394±171), WBC and spleen index were significantly decreased by APS, while the percentage of CD4~+ lymphocyte(52.6±5.8 and 57.0±5.5), the ratio of CD4~+/CD8~+(3.6±0.6 and 3.4±0.5), the number of RBC and marrow karyote was remarkably increased by APS(P<0.05 or (P<0.01), n=10), some of the items even recovered to normal level. CONCLUSION These results suggest that APS have not only antivirus effects, but also immunomodulative effect. APS has a potential therapy effect on AIDS.