Evidence that ribavirin is transported in Aedes albopictus cells by the nucleoside transport system.

Aedes albopictus cells (CAE-3-6) deficient in the transport of nucleosides showed a markedly impaired ability to transport the antiviral compound, ribavirin. Furthermore, in order to inhibit either cell growth or viral replication, the transport negative CAE-3-6 cells required significantly higher concentrations of ribavirin than were needed for a similar degree of inhibition in the parental C7 cells. Although ribavirin did lower the level of GTP in CAE-3-6 cells the effect was slower and less striking than in the parental cells. These results indicate that ribavirin is transported across the plasma membrane of Aedes albopictus cells by the same transport system which functions to transport naturally occurring nucleosides.