abstract |
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An alkyl oligosaccharide sulfate or a physiologically acceptable salt thereof is disclosed wherein the hydrogen atom in the hydroxyl group at the position-1 carbon atom at the terminal of said oligosaccharide has been substituted with a straight or branched alkyl group, and at least 14.3% of the remaining hydroxyl group has been substituted with a sulfate group, and an antiviral agent comprising, as the effective component, the aforementioned alkyl oligosaccharide sulfate. The antiviral agent is very low in toxicity, and exhibits antiviral activity against a wide range of DNA and RNA viruses (with or without an envelope), in particular against the AIDS virus. |