Effective ribavirin concentration in hamster brains for antiviral chemotherapy for subacute sclerosing panencephalitis.

The ribavirin concentration in hamster brains was measured by a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) system and a bioassay system. When ribavirin was administered intracranially at a dosage of 10 mg/kg of body weight per day for 10 days, a dosage which results in 100% survival of hamsters infected with subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) virus and which inhibits the replication of SSPE virus in hamster brains, the ribavirin concentration in the brains estimated by HPLC and bioassay was kept higher than 50 micrograms/g for 10 days. The effective concentration in vivo corresponds to the concentration at which ribavirin completely inhibits the replication of SSPE virus in vitro. The maximal tolerable ribavirin concentration for hamsters was calculated to be 150 micrograms/g. Although ribavirin shows toxicity to the animals at a relatively low concentration (250 to 400 micrograms/g), intrathecal or intraventricular administration of ribavirin should be explored for potential use in the treatment of patients with SSPE, while the ribavirin concentration in cerebrospinal fluid or brain tissue should be monitored.