We have previously shown that immunoglobulin therapy suppressed murine coxsackievirus B3
myocarditis. In the present study, we examined the effects of
immunoglobulin upon murine
myocarditis induced by encephalomyocarditis virus, which is not pathogenic to humans.
Antiviral activity of
immunoglobulin (
Venilon) against encephalomyocarditis virus could not be detected in vitro. The production of
cytokines was decreased in virus-infected macrophages by the treatment of
immunoglobulin in vitro.
Immunoglobulin (1 g/kg/day) was administered intraperitoneally to the virus-infected C3H/He mice daily for 2 weeks, beginning simultaneously with virus inoculation in experiment I and on day 14 after virus inoculation in experiment II. In experiment I, survival rate did not differ significantly between
immunoglobulin-treated and untreated groups. In experiment II, survival rate was higher in
immunoglobulin compared with control groups.
Immunoglobulin administration suppressed the development of myocardial
necrosis with T-lymphocyte infiltrates in mice not only in the acute viremic but in the chronic aviremic stages concomitantly associated with the reduction of inflammatory
cytokines, i.e.,
tumor necrosis factor-alpha,
interferon-gamma, macrophage inflammatory protein-2, and
interleukin-6. Taken together, immunoglobulin therapy could have the potential to prevent
congestive heart failure.