title: Protection by dehydroepiandrosterone in mice infected with viral encephalitis.
abstract: Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) has a significant protective effect in mice infected with West Nile virus (WNV), Sindbis virus neurovirulent (SVNI) and Semliki Forest virus (SFV). Mice injected subcutaneously (SC) with a single injection of DHEA (1 g/kg) on the same day or one day pre or post infection with WNV resulted in 40-50% mortality as compared to 100% in control injected mice (p less than 0.05). The drug was effective following a single SC injection or serial intraperitoneal (IP) injections (5-20 mg/kg) on days 0, 2, 4, and 6 following virus inoculation. Moreover, DHEA injection not only reduced viremia and death rate, but also significantly delayed the onset of the disease and mortality. The titers of antivirus antibodies in surviving mice were very high. However, DHEA had no effect on WNV growth in BHK or Vero cell cultures. In this study it was shown that DHEA protects mice against WNV, SVNI and SFV lethal infection. Though the mechanism of the protective effect of DHEA is still unknown, it seems that DHEA can modify the host resistance mechanisms rather than the virus itself.
authors.affiliation: Department of Virology, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona, Israel.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ben-Nathan
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lachmi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lustig
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Feuerstein
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000382:microbiology; D002460:Cell Line; D003687:Dehydroepiandrosterone / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004660:Encephalitis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D007274:Injections, Intraperitoneal; D007279:Injections, Subcutaneous; D051379:Mice; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D013154:Spleen / Q000382:microbiology; D014036:Togaviridae Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology; D014709:Vero Cells; D010948:Viral Plaque Assay; D014766:Viremia / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology; D014779:Virus Replication / Q000187:drug effects; D014901:West Nile Fever / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology; D014902:West Nile virus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D003687:Dehydroepiandrosterone