Effect of clioquinol, an 8-hydroxyquinoline derivative, on rotavirus infection in mice

Rotavirus particles are unique in their configuration. They have a double-shelled protein capsid, inside which are the viral RNA fragments and a viral polymerase. The outer shell is involved in the infectivity of the virus particle; without it the particle is not infective. At the cellular level during the infection process, this outer shell is made permeable by an unknown mechanism. This makes the RNA polymerase within the particle accessible to precursors of new RNA. Transcription begins, and progeny virus RNA and protein soon accumulate in the cell. In vitro studies show that chelators such as EDTA and EGTA may be used to make the virion permeable, allowing the measurement of viral RNA polymerase activity. These chelators remove divalent cations such as Ca++ from the virus particle, thereby altering the outer shell of the virus [2]. We were interested in measuring the effect on rotavirus of chelators that have been used to treat diarrheal disease, such as clioquinol, an 8-hydroxyquinoline derivative and the principal ingredient of Entero-Vioform (Ciba Pharmaceutical Co, Summit, NJ). Seven of 10 three-day-old Icr white mice simultaneously inoculated with EDIM and administered a single dose of clioquinol developed diarrhea 48 hr after inoculation, although none had displayed diarrhea at 24 hr. These mice, therefore, developed diarrhea 24 hr later than six of eight untreated animals (P = 0.004 at 24 hr by Fisher's exact test). Moreover, no animals receiving doses of clioquinol every 12 hr had developed diarrhea by 48 hr after inoculation (P = 0.006 at 24 hr and P = 0.0001 at 48 hr, compared to untreated mice).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)