Polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid

Polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid, sodium salt
Clinical data
ATC code	L03AX07 (WHO) ;
Identifiers
	IUPAC name poly[(2R,3S,4R,5R)-5-(4-amino-2-oxopyrimidin-1-yl)-3,4-dihydroxyoxolan-2-yl]methyl dihydrogen phosphate;;
CAS Number	24939-03-5 ;
PubChem CID	32744;
ChemSpider	none;
UNII	3R630IWW5I; O84C90HH2L ;
CompTox Dashboard (EPA)	DTXSID90947819 ;
Chemical and physical data
Formula	(C10H10N4NaO7P)x • (C9H11N3NaO7P)x
	(what is this?) (verify)

Polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid (usually abbreviated poly I:C or poly(I:C)) is an immunostimulant. It is used in the form of its sodium salt to simulate viral infections.^[1]

Poly I:C is known to interact with toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3), which is expressed at the endosomal membrane of B-cells, macrophages and dendritic cells. Poly I:C is structurally similar to double-stranded RNA, which is present in some viruses and is a "natural" stimulant of TLR3. Thus, Poly I:C can be considered a synthetic analog of double-stranded RNA and is a common tool for scientific research on the immune system.^[2]

Poly I:C has been shown to activate schizophrenia-like behavior in the offspring of pregnant mice, which can be accompanied by decreased GABAergic transmission in the dentate gyrus.^[3]

^ Fortier ME, Kent S, Ashdown H, Poole S, Boksa P, Luheshi GN (October 2004). "The viral mimic, polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid, induces fever in rats via an interleukin-1-dependent mechanism". American Journal of Physiology. Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology. 287 (4): R759 – R766. doi:10.1152/ajpregu.00293.2004. PMID 15205185. S2CID 24028101.
^ Li Y, Xu XL, Zhao D, Pan LN, Huang CW, Guo LJ, et al. (November 2015). "TLR3 ligand Poly IC Attenuates Reactive Astrogliosis and Improves Recovery of Rats after Focal Cerebral Ischemia". CNS Neuroscience & Therapeutics. 21 (11): 905–913. doi:10.1111/cns.12469. PMC 4638223. PMID 26494128.
^ Xia Y, Zhang Z, Lin W, Yan J, Zhu C, Yin D, et al. (October 2020). "Modulating microglia activation prevents maternal immune activation induced schizophrenia-relevant behavior phenotypes via arginase 1 in the dentate gyrus". Neuropsychopharmacology. 45 (11): 1896–1908. doi:10.1038/s41386-020-0743-7. PMC 7608378. PMID 32599605.

[pmid15205185-1] Fortier ME, Kent S, Ashdown H, Poole S, Boksa P, Luheshi GN (October 2004). "The viral mimic, polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid, induces fever in rats via an interleukin-1-dependent mechanism". American Journal of Physiology. Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology. 287 (4): R759 – R766. doi:10.1152/ajpregu.00293.2004. PMID 15205185. S2CID 24028101.

[pmid26494128-2] Li Y, Xu XL, Zhao D, Pan LN, Huang CW, Guo LJ, et al. (November 2015). "TLR3 ligand Poly IC Attenuates Reactive Astrogliosis and Improves Recovery of Rats after Focal Cerebral Ischemia". CNS Neuroscience & Therapeutics. 21 (11): 905–913. doi:10.1111/cns.12469. PMC 4638223. PMID 26494128.

[3] Xia Y, Zhang Z, Lin W, Yan J, Zhu C, Yin D, et al. (October 2020). "Modulating microglia activation prevents maternal immune activation induced schizophrenia-relevant behavior phenotypes via arginase 1 in the dentate gyrus". Neuropsychopharmacology. 45 (11): 1896–1908. doi:10.1038/s41386-020-0743-7. PMC 7608378. PMID 32599605.

[1]

[2]

[3]