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Vascular and neuroglial changes in experimental herpes simplex encephalitis enzyme histochemical study
Acta Neuropathologica
|October 27, 1975
Summary
Herpes simplex encephalitis in mice alters brain enzyme activity, decreasing alkaline phosphatase in capillaries and increasing Inosine 5 diphosphatase and ATPase in glial cells. Irradiated HSV inoculation did not cause these changes.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Pathology
- Enzyme Histochemistry
Background:
- Herpes simplex encephalitis (HSE) is a severe neurological condition.
- Understanding the neuropathological changes in HSE is crucial for developing treatments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the enzyme histochemical alterations in the brain during experimental herpes simplex encephalitis.
- To differentiate changes caused by active viral infection from those induced by non-infectious viral components.
Main Methods:
- Enzyme histochemistry was used to study alkaline phosphatase, Inosine 5 diphosphatase, and ATPase activity in mouse models of experimental HSE.
- Light microscopy was employed to identify and characterize lesions.
- Mice were inoculated with either live HSV or irradiated HSV.
Main Results:
- A decrease in alkaline phosphatase activity was observed in brain capillaries.
- Increased Inosine 5 diphosphatase and ATPase activity were detected in glial cells.
- These enzyme histochemical changes were widespread in the nervous parenchyma, unlike localized light microscopic lesions.
- Mice inoculated with irradiated HSV did not exhibit these enzyme histochemical modifications.
Conclusions:
- Experimental herpes simplex encephalitis induces distinct enzyme histochemical changes in the brain parenchyma, particularly in glial cells and capillaries.
- These observed changes are associated with active viral infection rather than non-infectious viral components.
- Enzyme histochemistry can serve as a valuable tool for characterizing neuropathological alterations in HSE.