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Ronca SE, Gunter SM, Kairis RB, Lino A, Romero J, Pautler RG, Nimmo A, Murray KO. A Potential Role for Substance P in West Nile Virus Neuropathogenesis. Viruses 2022; 14:v14091961. [PMID: 36146768 PMCID: PMC9503494 DOI: 10.3390/v14091961] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2022] [Accepted: 08/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Of individuals who develop West Nile neuroinvasive disease (WNND), ~10% will die and >40% will develop long-term complications. Current treatment recommendations solely focus on supportive care; therefore, we urgently need to identify novel and effective therapeutic options. We observed a correlation between substance P (SP), a key player in neuroinflammation, and its receptor Neurokinin-1 (NK1R). Our study in a wild-type BL6 mouse model found that SP is upregulated in the brain during infection, which correlated with neuroinvasion and damage to the blood−brain barrier. Blocking the SP/NK1R interaction beginning at disease onset modestly improved survival and prolonged time to death in a small pilot study. Although SP is significantly increased in the brain of untreated WNND mice when compared to mock-infected animals, levels of WNV are unchanged, indicating that SP likely does not play a role in viral replication but may mediate the immune response to infection. Additional studies are necessary to define if SP plays a mechanistic role or if it represents other mechanistic pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shannon E. Ronca
- Division of Tropical Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Correspondence: (S.E.R.); (K.O.M.)
| | - Sarah M. Gunter
- Division of Tropical Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Rebecca Berry Kairis
- Division of Tropical Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Allison Lino
- Division of Tropical Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Jonathan Romero
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Baylor College of Medicine, 1 Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Robia G. Pautler
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Baylor College of Medicine, 1 Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Alan Nimmo
- Centre for Molecular Therapeutics and College of Medicine and Dentistry, James Cook University, Cairns, QLD 4878, Australia
| | - Kristy O. Murray
- Division of Tropical Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Correspondence: (S.E.R.); (K.O.M.)
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