The effect of
Remicade, administered according to different schemes, produced on the course of experimental
Marburg hemorrhagic fever was studied. When the
drug was used from the first
infection day, the treated animals died reliably earlier versus the controls (infected animals). A reliably lower concentration of
TNF-alpha in blood serum (versus the controls) was registered on day 3. At the same time, when
Remicade was used from day 3 after
infection, a 50% survival of animals was registered. It is noteworthy, that the
TNF-alpha concentration in blood serum did not differ, on day 3, from that of controls, whereas, beginning from day 5 after
infection, the animals displayed a downtrend of
TNF-alpha concentration. Hence, it can be an evidence of a dual
TNF-alpha role in the immunopathogenesis of
Marburg hemorrhagic fever: on day 1 after
infection the production of
TNF-alpha is needed; whereas, if there is an overproduction of the
cytokine, it is necessary to inhibit it. The treatment scheme in hemorrhagic
fever must, apparently, comprise both elements of
cytokine therapy and drugs affecting other chains of pathogenesis--they must mainly protect the endothelial vascular cells.