Antiviral activity of carbopol, a cross-linked polycarboxylate.

Carbopol, a polymer of acrylic acid cross-linked with allylsucrose, was found to impart resistance to virus infection in mice which received an intraperitoneal injection of the polycarboxylate 1 or 4 days before either intravenous vaccinia virus challenge or intranasal herpes simplex virus challenge. An interferon-like substance was detected in the blood stream 20-40 hours after the intraperitoneal injection of carbopol. The antiviral activity of this cross-linked polycarboxylate could be due to activation of peritoneal macrophages and/or interferon production.