Nucleic Acid Polyvinyl Analogs

A number of potential drug carriers are described in the literature, e.g. polyphospha-zenes derivatives of poly(methacrylic acid) >, synthetic poIy(amino acids)polyvinyl analogs of nucleic adds , poly(ethylene oxide) copolymers of vinylpyrrolidone poly(amido-amines) and others. The structure of these polymers has been modified by the incorporation of hydrophobic units - >, sugar residues, sulfinyl groups to achieve, in a non-specific way, affinity for certain tissues. 

From various physical and biophysical properties of nucleic acid analogs the most important property for the present purpose is their interaction with nucleic acids. The spectrophotometric methods for detection of complex formation were applied to all combinations of polyvinyl polynucleotide analogs and natural polynucleotides (Fig. 3). In aqueous media hypochromic complexes were formed in combinations where the bases in the polynucleotide and analog were complementary. Poly-l-vinylcytosine is soluble in aqueous-propylene glycol base-pair type complexes were detected there also. An analog of polyinosinate, poly-9-vinylhypoxanthine, is soluble only in solutions of a detergent, sodium dodecylsulfate. This detergent intercalates into the polymer and conveys to it an... 

Fitha, J. Polymeric drugs effects of polyvinyl analogs of nucleic acids on cells, animals and their viral infections, in Biomedical and Dental Applications of Polymers, (eds.) Gebelein, C. G., Koblitz, F. K., p. 203, New York, Plenum 1981 Maack, T. et sd. Kidney Int. 16, 251 (1979)... 

Pitha reviewed recently the biological properties of polyvinyl analogs of nucleic acids such as poly(9-vinyladenine) (polyVA) and poly(l-vinyluracil) (polyVU). 

These polymers were originally synthesized to study interactions at the molecular level, i.e. interactions of polyvinyl analogs of nucleic acids with nucleic acids and enzymes, but their interactions with cells and tissues was also extensively investigated. 

POLYMERIC DRUGS EFFECTS OF POLYVINYL ANALOGS OF NUCLEIC ACIDS ON CELLS, ANIMALS AND THEIR VIRAL INFECTIONS Josef Pitha... 

Summary of Interactions of Polyvinyl Analogs of Nucleic Acids on the Molecular Level... 

On the molecular level polyvinyl analogs of nucleic acids are... 

Replication of various viruses in cells may also be inhibited by exposure of cells to interferon. Interferon is a glycoprotein formed by cells themselves when they are exposed to specific inducers. The most effective synthetic inducers of interferon are found between nucleic acids and polynucleotides. Electroneutral polyvinyl analogs of nucleic acids are incapable of inducing interferon in cells in culture (10). On the other hand, the complex of polyvinyl-l-cytosine with a polynucleotide, polyinosinic acid, is a very effective inducer of interferon (11). A principal reason for this effectiveness may be a high uptake of this complex by cells (10). 

Figure 6. Scheme of distribution fate of polyvinyl analogs of nucleic acids in mice. 

Relatively little work has been done on the biological effects of water soluble polymers (14-16). The polyvinyl analogs of nucleic acids described here and in previous reviews (1,17) together with... 

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