The expression of IL-2 and IL-4 in CD4(+) T cells from mouse lymph nodes and spleen during HSV-1-induced facial palsy

Cathelicidin-derived antiviral peptide inhibits herpes simplex virus 1 infection

Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) is a widely distributed virus. HSV-1 is a growing public health concern due to the emergence of drug-resistant strains and the current lack of a clinically specific drug for treatment. In recent years, increasing attention has been paid to the development of peptide antivirals. Natural host-defense peptides which have uniquely evolved to protect the host have been reported to have antiviral properties. Cathelicidins are a family of multi-functional antimicrobial peptides found in almost all vertebrate species and play a vital role in the immune system. In this study, we demonstrated the anti-HSV-1 effect of an antiviral peptide named WL-1 derived from human cathelicidin. We found that WL-1 inhibited HSV-1 infection in epithelial and neuronal cells. Furthermore, the administration of WL-1 improved the survival rate and reduced viral load and inflammation during HSV-1 infection via ocular scarification. Moreover, facial nerve dysfunction, involving the abnormal blink reflex, nose position, and vibrissae movement, and pathological injury were prevented when HSV-1 ear inoculation-infected mice were treated with WL-1. Together, our findings demonstrate that WL-1 may be a potential novel antiviral agent against HSV-1 infection-induced facial palsy.

The Chinese Herbal Prescription JieZe-1 Inhibits Membrane Fusion and the Toll-like Receptor Signaling Pathway in a Genital Herpes Mouse Model

Chinese herbal prescription JieZe-1 is effective for genital herpes with no visible adverse effects clinically. It showed an excellent anti-HSV-2 effect in vitro. However, its mechanism of anti-HSV-2 effect in vivo remains unclear. This study was designed to evaluate the anti-HSV-2 effect of JieZe-1 and berberine in a genital herpes mouse model and explore the underlying mechanism. The fingerprint of JieZe-1 was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography. First, we optimized a mouse model of genital herpes. Next, the weight, symptom score, morphological changes, viral load, membrane fusion proteins, critical proteins of the Toll-like receptor signaling pathway, cytokines, and immune cells of vaginal tissue in mice at different time points were measured. Finally, we treated the genital herpes mouse model with JieZe-1 gel (2.5, 1.5, and 0.5 g/ml) and tested the above experimental indexes at 12 h and on the 9th day after modeling. JieZe-1 improved the symptoms, weight, and histopathological damage of genital herpes mice, promoted the keratin repair of tissues, and protected organelles to maintain the typical morphology of cells. It downregulated the expression of membrane fusion proteins, critical proteins of the Toll-like receptor signaling pathway, cytokines, and immune cells. The vaginal, vulvar, and spinal cord viral load and vaginal virus shedding were also significantly reduced. In summary, JieZe-1 shows significant anti-HSV-2 efficacy in vivo. The mechanism is related to the inhibition of membrane fusion, the Toll-like receptor signaling pathway, inflammatory cytokines, and cellular immunity. However, berberine, the main component of JieZe-1 monarch medicine, showed no efficacy at a concentration of 891.8 μM (0.3 mg/ml).

Expression of Collagen (Types I, III, and V), HSP47, MMP-2, and TIMP-1 in Retrobulbar Adipose Tissue of Patients with Thyroid-Associated Orbitopathy

Objective

This study aimed to investigate the expression of collagen (types I, III, and V), heat shock protein 47 (HSP47), matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2), and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1) in the retrobulbar adipose tissues of patients with thyroid-associated orbitopathy (TAO).

Materials and Methods

The retrobulbar adipose tissues were collected from 4 TAO patients undergoing orbital decompression and 4 ocular enucleation patients with atrophic eyeball caused by ocular trauma between May 2019 and September 2019. Masson staining was performed to analyze the differences in collagen expression and degree of histologic fibrosis in each sample. The protein expressions of collagen (types I, III, and V), HSP47, MMP-2, and TIMP-1 were determined by western blotting. The data of western blotting were analyzed using SPSS version 17.0, with independent t-tests.

Results

The results of Masson staining showed that the expression of collagen fibers in the TAO group was significantly higher than that in the control group, and the fibers were diffuse and irregular in distribution. The expression level of collagen (types I, III, and V), HSP47, MMP-2, and TIMP-1 in the TAO group were significantly higher than that in the control group (P < 0.05).

Conclusion

The proliferation and fibrosis of retrobulbar adipose tissue in TAO patients might be related to the increased expression of collagen (types I, III, and V) and HSP47 and decreased degradation of extracellular matrix.

Activation of NF-κB signaling pathway in HSV-1-induced mouse facial palsy: Possible relation to therapeutic effect of glucocorticoids

It has been documented that infection of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) contributes to the initiation of Bell's palsy. However, the exact mechanisms responsible for this disorder have not been fully elucidated to date. A mouse model of facial palsy induced by HSV-1 provides an opportunity to investigate the alteration in activities of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) and its consequent effect on two key inflammatory factors, i.e., tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), as well as the effect of glucocorticoids (GCs) in this work. I-kappa B (IκB)-α phosphorylation and NF-κB nuclear translocation were measured by western blotting, and NF-κB/DNA binding activity was assessed by electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA). Results showed the IκB-α phosphorylation and degradation as well as NF-κB activation in a time-dependent manner. The expression of TNF-α and COX-2 were determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), western blotting and/or enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) respectively. Concomitant with the activation, the expression and secretion of TNF-α and COX-2 were rapidly induced in HSV-1-infected paralyzed mice. Conversely, the activation of NF-κB and up-regulation of TNF-α and COX-2 were blocked by pretreatment with NF-κB inhibitor pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC) before being inoculated with HSV-1 to mice. In addition, GCs inhibited the nuclear translocation and DNA binding activity of NF-κB via inhibiting IκB-α degradation. Meanwhile, TNF-α production and COX-2 expression were significantly reduced by GCs. In conclusion, HSV-1 inoculation induced the activation of NF-κB, expression and secretion of TNF-α and COX-2 in the facial paralyzed mice, while, glucocorticoid effectively down-regulated TNF-α and COX-2 expression in HSV-1-induced paralyzed mice.