Polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid

Polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid, sodium salt
Clinical data
ATC code
Identifiers
  • poly[(2R,3S,4R,5R)-5-(4-amino-2-oxopyrimidin-1-yl)-3,4-dihydroxyoxolan-2-yl]methyl dihydrogen phosphate;
CAS Number
PubChem CID
ChemSpider
  • none
UNII
CompTox Dashboard (EPA)
Chemical and physical data
Formula(C10H10N4NaO7P)x • (C9H11N3NaO7P)x
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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.

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.

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.

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