The polyanionic substances dextran sulfate and heparin were investigated for their antiviral effect on the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in vitro. Dextran sulfate and heparin effected a 50% reduction in the cytopathogenicity of HIV for MT-4 cells at a concentration of 4.7 and 7.5 micrograms/ml, respectively. In Molt-4 (clone 8) cells, these values were slightly higher (14.1 and 15.6 micrograms/ml, respectively). No toxicity for the host cells was noted with these compounds at a concentration up to 400 micrograms/ml, so that the selectivity indexes, as based on the ratio of the 50% cytotoxic dose to the 50% antiviral effective dose, were well in excess of 100. These findings may have far reaching implications both diagnostically, when attempts are made to isolate HIV from heparinized blood samples, as therapeutically, to the extent that dextran sulfate or heparin may be useful in blocking HIV replication in vivo.