Ganciclvir treatment reduces levels of VEGF mRNA and TNF-α mRNA production by splenic macrophages collected from chronically infected mice.

<p>Groups of adult C57BL/6 mice were inoculated intraperitoneally with either MCMV or mock-infected with maintenance medium. At 12 weeks after inoculation, groups of MCMV-infected or mock-infected mice were treated intraperitoneally with ganciclovir for 7 days (40 mg/kg/day). Parallel groups of untreated control MCMV-infected or mock-infected mice received daily intraperitoneal injections of phosphate-buffered saline for 7 days. Following the 7-day regimen of ganciclovir or phosphate-buffered saline treatment, splenic macrophages were collected from treated and untreated MCMV-infected animal groups and compared with splenic macrophages collected from treated and untreated mock-infected animal groups by quantitative real-time RT-PCR assay for comparison of levels of TNF-α mRNA and VEGF mRNA production. Asterisks indicate statistical significance when compared with parallel treated or untreated mock-infected animals. (p = ≤0.009). Gray bars = TNF-α mRNA; Black bars = VEGF mRNA.