STUDIES ON THE MECHANISM OF ACTION OF RILEY VIRUS : IV. THE RETICULOENDOTHELIAL SYSTEM AND IMPAIRED PLASMA ENZYME CLEARANCE IN INFECTED MICE

The plasma clearance of intravenously injected rabbit muscle LDH was studied. In normal mice the clearance followed a biphasic exponential curve comprising an initial fast and subsequent slow phase. Riley virus-infected mice showed only the slow phase of enzyme clearance. The change from fast to slow clearance rate in normal mice appeared to depend upon the level of plasma enzyme activity rather than on the amount of enzyme cleared. Treatment of mice with RES-blocking agents (cholesterol oleate and carbon) inhibited the fast clearance phase, whereas an RES-stimulating agent (stilbestrol) caused an accelerated rate of enzyme clearance. Riley virus infection was found to inhibit the clearance of phosphoglucose isomerase, but had no effect on the clearance of alanine transaminase. The activity of the former enzyme is raised in the plasma of infected mice, whereas the activity of the latter enzyme is unaltered.