Plasma membrane-acting drugs inhibit the effect of dengue virus-induced cytotoxic factor.

Our earlier studies reported that the cytotoxic factor (CF) produced in the spleen of dengue virus type 2-infected mice killed the lymphoid cells of many species of animals and induced normal mouse splenic and peritoneal macrophages to produce a cytotoxin (CF2). In the present study, it has been observed that pretreatment of target cells with cell plasma membrane stabilizers--2,4-dinitrophenol, ouabain and reduced glutathione--prevents the cytotoxicity of CF and blocks the production of CF2, but does not abolish the cytotoxic effect of the latter. CF thus appears to act on target cells through damage to the plasma membrane.