Genital transmission of HPV in a mouse model is potentiated by nonoxynol-9 and inhibited by carrageenan

Area of Science:

• Virology
• Gynecology
• Microbiology

Background:

• Genital human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection and a primary cause of cervical cancer.
• Current prophylactic vaccines protect against some HPV types, but many aspects of HPV infection remain poorly understood.
• Existing animal models do not accurately replicate the species- and tissue-specific nature of productive papillomavirus infection.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel mouse model for studying cervicovaginal infection with human papillomavirus (HPV).
• To investigate factors influencing HPV infection establishment and identify potential microbicides.
• To evaluate the efficacy of carrageenan as a topical HPV microbicide.

Main Methods:

• Development of a mouse model for cervicovaginal infection using HPV16 pseudovirus.
• Characterization of reporter gene transduction by histology and whole-organ, multispectral imaging.
• Assessment of the impact of nonoxynol-9 (N-9) and carrageenan on HPV infection susceptibility.

Main Results:

• The mouse model successfully recapitulated the establishment phase of HPV infection.
• Epithelial integrity disruption was necessary for infection, occurring after virus deposition on the basement membrane.
• Nonoxynol-9 (N-9) significantly increased susceptibility to HPV infection, while carrageenan prevented infection, even in the presence of N-9.

Conclusions:

• The developed mouse model provides a valuable tool for studying HPV infection dynamics in the cervicovaginal epithelium.
• Nonoxynol-9 (N-9) may enhance susceptibility to HPV, warranting further investigation.
• Carrageenan demonstrates potential as an effective topical microbicide against genital HPV infection.