Gene-Specific Countermeasures against Ebola Virus Based on Antisense Phosphorodiamidate Morpholino Oligomers
Figure 3
PMO Treatment Slows Viral Replication in Mice
(A–D) C57BL/6 mice were challenged intraperitoneally with 1,000 plaque-forming units of EBOV following treatment with PMOs. Immunoperoxidase stain showing presence of viral antigen is brown with hematoxylin counterstain. Spleen (100×) of a mouse treated with scrambled PMO (A) or the EBOV VP24, VP35, and L PMOs (B) 3 d after EBOV infection. Diffuse staining pattern in the livers (600×) of the scrambled PMO-treated mice (C) on day 6 of EBOV infection, compared with focal areas of infection in the mice treated with the combination of PMOs (D).
(E) Viral titers in tissues from mice treated with a combination of 3 PMO and infected with 1,000 pfu of EBOV. Samples of the liver, spleen, and kidney were taken at 3 d or 6 d post challenge (dpc), macerated, and analyzed for viral titer using plaque assay. The data are presented as the mean viral titer of three mice with errors bars representing the standard deviation.