Methionine enkephalin combined with AZT therapy reduce murine retrovirus-induced disease

AZT (7.5 or 15 mg/kg/dose) and the neuropeptide methionine enkephalin (Met-ENK, 1 or 3 mg/kg/dose) were used in a combined protocol for therapy of established murine retroviral infection. In both models used, Friend virus leukemia (FV) and BM5 complex (lymphadenopathy and immune deficiency), the drug combination was able to reduce mortality and splenomegaly. While increasing mean survival time of those animals that did not survive infection by FV, when compared to infected control mice or mice treated with AZT alone, Met-ENK used alone at 1 and 3 mg/kg/mouse had no effect in reducing morbidity or mortality due to either virus. This suggested that Met-ENK had no direct antiviral effect at the concentrations used. In fact, mice treated with either single drug therapy or the combination still yielded virus in their spleen, even when splenomegaly was absent. The data suggest that Met-ENK, which has been reported to be immunostimulatory, acts in combination to improve the efficacy of AZT in reducing progression of disease in murine retrovirus models for human AIDS.