Abstract
Introduction. Yeast RNA is considered a promising class of natural immunomodulators that has been studied in Russian biomedical science since the Soviet period. High-molecular-weight RNA fractions from Saccharomyces cerevisiae exhibit pronounced immunostimulatory activity associated with their ability to form double-stranded regions recognized by the innate immune system. Current preparations based on yeast RNA, including Polyribonate, Ridostin, and Amphievovir, represent a continuation of this research field.
Objective. To systematize historical and contemporary data on the biochemical properties of yeast RNA, the mechanisms of its immunomodulatory activity, biotechnological approaches to its production, and the clinical use of yeast RNA-based preparations.
Material and methods. An analytical review of the literature indexed in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and eLibrary from 1974 to 2025 was performed, including Soviet and Russian publications addressing the structure of yeast RNA, its immunobiological effects, technological aspects of isolation, and potential clinical applications.
Results. Yeast RNA is represented predominantly by high-molecular-weight single-stranded molecules ranging from hundreds to several thousand nucleotides in length and capable of forming multiple intra- and intermolecular double-stranded regions that mimic viral pathogen-associated molecular patterns. A major contribution of the Soviet scientific school was the demonstration that yeast RNA can stimulate leukopoiesis and enhance protein synthesis in hematopoietic organs. Biotechnological methods developed by Russian researchers provide a high yield of purified dsRNA fractions. The mechanisms of action of yeast RNA involve activation of TLR3, TLR7/8, RIG-I, and other nucleic acid-sensing receptors followed by induction of interferons and other mediators of innate immunity. Russian yeast RNA-based preparations demonstrate antiviral and immunocorrective activity; in preclinical studies, Amphievovir suppressed rabies virus replication by 2–3 logs.
Conclusion. Yeast RNA represents a promising platform for the development of natural immunomodulatory agents. Its structural features, ability to induce the interferon response, and capacity to stimulate leukopoiesis support further experimental and clinical investigation. Large randomized clinical trials and broader integration of Russian data into the international scientific literature are required for wider implementation of yeast RNA-based products.
Keywords
Authors and affiliations
https://elibrary.ru/ssjjtj
T.V. Potupchik(1), Yu.S. Alikin(2), S.V. Generalov(3), V.V. Ermolaev(4), D.A. Kudlay(7–9), J.A. Ksanaeva(5), L.S. Banar(6), A.A. Makhova(6)
1-Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Education “Krasnoyarsk State Medical University named after Professor V.F. Voyno-Yasenetsky” of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, Russian Federation, 660022, Krasnoyarsk, Partizana Zheleznyaka St., 1; 2-LLC “NPO Evolution of Nature”, Voskhod str., 20/1, office 1.2, Novosibirsk, 630102, Russian Federation; 3-Russian Anti-Plague Research Institute “Microbe”, Universitetskaya str., 46, Saratov, 410005, Russian Federation; 4Institute of Medical Biotechnology, State Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology “Vector”, Rospotrebnadzor, Koltsovo Rural Settlement, Novosibirsk Region, 630559, Russian Federation; 5-Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Education “Kabardino-Balkarian State University named after H.M. Berbekov”, Chernyshevskogo St., 173, Nalchik, 360004, Russian Federation; 6Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia, Miklukho-Maklaya St., 6, Moscow, 117198, Russian Federation; 7Federal State Autonomous Educational Institution of Higher Education I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation (Sechenov University), Trubetskaya str., 8, build. 2, Moscow, 119991, Russian Federation; 8-Federal State Budget Educational Institution of Higher Education M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie Gory, 1, Moscow, 119991, Russian Federation; 9The Federal Scientific “State Research Center Institute of Immunology” of the Federal Medical
and Biological Agency of Russia, Kashirskoye Shosse, 24, 115522, Moscow, Russian Federation
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