Disoxaril stabilization and immunogenicity of poliovirus procapsids.

Disoxaril (5-[7-[4(4,5-dihydro-2-oxazolyl)phenoxy]-heptyl]-3- methylisoxazole) protects poliovirus procapsids against alkaline dissociation and thermal denaturation up to 42 degrees C. When added during the purification of procapsids, it enhances their yield and antigenic quality. Disoxaril increases the immunogenicity of both purified virions and procapsids in mice. Whereas untreated procapsids mainly elicit H-specific antibodies, disoxaril-treated procapsids yield high titres of neutralizing antibodies. The prospect of using disoxaril-treated procapsids in vaccines is discussed.