title: Beta-endorphin alters a viral induced central nervous system disease in normal mice but not in nude mice.
abstract: A single intracerebroventricular injection of 100 ng of beta-endorphin altered the course of the central nervous system (CNS) infection of a temperature-sensitive mutant of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV), tsG31-KS5. When mice were administered beta-endorphin and then 24 h later infected intracerebrally with tsG31-KS5 VSV, 70% of the animals died within 8 days of infection. In comparison, less than 10% of the animals had died after 21 days when infected with tsG31-KS5 VSV alone. When mice were injected with beta-endorphin and tsG31-KS5 VSV simultaneously, or with beta-endorphin 21 days after infection, the more aggressive clinical disease was not observed. Superficially, the more lethal disease induced by beta-endorphin appeared to be a result of a mild hypothermia caused by the neuropeptide. beta-Endorphin, however, did not influence the disease in nude (nu/nu) mice even though their core temperatures were reduced to an extent similar to that of BALB/c (+/+) mice, implicating the involvement of T lymphocytes in the alteration of the course of infection in normal mice.
authors.affiliation: Section of Virology and Oncology, Kansas State University, Manhattan 66506.
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Doll
authors.forename: T C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Johnson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002493:Central Nervous System Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D007276:Injections, Intraventricular; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008819:Mice, Nude; D014721:Vesicular stomatitis Indiana virus; D014777:Virus Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001615:beta-Endorphin / Q000008:administration & dosage*
chemical_list: D001615:beta-Endorphin