Liver Failure Caused by Herpes Simplex Virus Thymidine Kinase Plus Ganciclovir Therapy Is Associated with Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Mitochondrial DNA Depletion

Abstract excerpt

Herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase (HSV-tk) converts ganciclovir (GCV) into an active compound, which can be incorporated into DNA molecules and terminate DNA synthesis. Gene transfer of HSV-tk followed by GCV administration has been used with success to treat experimental cancer and this strategy has entered into clinical trials. Although it is thought that the cytotoxic effect occurs mainly in tumoral...