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Neuronal apoptosis in herpes simplex virus - 1 encephalitis (HSE)
S Athmanathan1, B V Vydehi, C Sundaram
1Jhaveri Microbiology Centre, L. V. Prasad Eye Institute, Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences, Hyderabad, India.
Indian Journal of Medical Microbiology
|August 1, 2007
Summary
Herpes simplex virus encephalitis (HSE) may involve apoptosis, a programmed cell death. This study found evidence of virus-induced apoptosis in brain tissue and cell lines, suggesting its role in HSE pathogenesis.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Virology
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Herpes simplex virus (HSV) infections are common and can affect the central nervous system, leading to life-threatening encephalitis.
- The precise cellular mechanisms driving Herpes simplex virus encephalitis (HSE) pathogenesis remain largely unknown.
- Virus-induced apoptosis (programmed cell death) is a potential contributor to the molecular pathology of encephalitis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the presence and role of apoptosis in Herpes simplex virus type 1 encephalitis (HSE).
- To examine apoptosis in post-mortem brain tissue from an HSE patient.
- To assess HSV-1-induced apoptosis in a human glioblastoma cell line (SNB 19) in vitro.
Main Methods:
- Histopathological analysis of brain tissue using hematoxylin and eosin staining.
- Detection of HSV-1 antigen via indirect immunoperoxidase assay.
- Apoptosis detection using TUNEL assay in brain tissue and membrane blebbing/Hoechst 33258 staining in cell lines.
Main Results:
- Brain tissue showed classical signs of viral encephalitis, including intranuclear inclusions and neuronal loss.
- Abundant HSV-1 viral antigen was detected in neurons, microglial, and satellite cells.
- Both post-mortem brain tissue and in vitro cell line assays demonstrated significant apoptosis, indicating HSV-1 induction.
Conclusions:
- Virus-induced apoptosis is implicated in the molecular pathogenesis of Herpes simplex virus encephalitis (HSE).
- These findings highlight apoptosis as a key cellular event in HSE.
- Further research using neuronal cell lines is recommended to fully elucidate HSV-1's role in apoptosis.
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