1. ¹Department of Life and Environmental Science, Chiba Institute of Technology, Chiba, Japan
2. ²Research Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
3. ³High Technology Research Center, Chiba Institute of Technology, Chiba, Japan

Correspondence: Professor H Takaku, Department of Life and Environmental Science and High Technology Research Center, Chiba Institute of Technology, 2-17-1 Tsudanuma, Narashino-shi, Chiba 275-0016 Japan. E-mail: hiroshi.takaku@it-chiba.ac.jp

⁴These authors contributed equally to this work.

Received 5 July 2007; Revised 7 February 2008; Accepted 10 February 2008; Published online 27 March 2008.

Abstract

The wild-type baculovirus Autographa californica multiple nuclear polyhedrosis virus (AcMNPV) infects a range of mammalian cell types in vitro but does not replicate in these cells. The current study investigated the in vivo effect of AcMNPV in the mouse model of liver cirrhosis induced by the mutagen dimethylnitrosamine. Intraperitoneal injection of AcMNPV induced an immune response. The baculovirus was taken up by the liver and spleen where it suppressed liver injury and fibrosis through the induction of interferons. This study presents the first evidence of the feasibility of using baculovirus to treat liver cirrhosis.