In the acute experiment, BALB/c and DBA/2 mice were inoculated with encephalomyocarditis virus. BALB/c mice were then given
carteolol at 1 (n = 10), 10 (n = 10), 30 (n = 11), or 100 mg/kg (n = 9) daily, and DBA/2 mice were given
carteolol at 1 (n = 9) or 10 mg/kg (n = 9) daily starting the day of inoculation. Controls were given distilled water (n = 23 for BALB/c mice and n = 8 for DBA/2 mice). BALB/c mice were killed on day 7, and DBA/2 mice were killed on day 14. In the subacute experiment, DBA/2 mice were inoculated with the virus and then given
carteolol at 1 (n = 12) or 10 mg/kg (n = 16), or distilled water (n = 27) daily, starting on day 14. Mice were killed on day 28. Virus replication, murine survival, heart weight to
body weight ratio, and histopathological findings were similar in each group in the acute and subacute experiments. In the chronic experiment, DBA/2 mice were inoculated with the virus and were then given
carteolol at 1 (n = 13) or 10 mg/kg (n = 9),
metoprolol at 30 mg/kg (n = 9), or distilled water (n = 31) daily, starting on day 14. Mice were killed on day 104. Heart weight to
body weight ratio and histopathological scores were significantly lower in mice given
carteolol than in the infected control group. Furthermore, left ventricular cavity dimension, left ventricular wall thickness, and myocardial fiber diameter of the left ventricle were significantly reduced in mice given
carteolol compared with the control group.
Metoprolol did not cause any significant changes compared with the control group.
CONCLUSIONS: