Colony-stimulating factors and coxackievirus B3 myocarditis in mice: macrophage colony-stimulating factor suppresses acute myocarditis with increasing interferon-alpha.
The effects of macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) on murine coxsackievirus B3 myocarditis were investigated. A total of 4 x 10(6) U/kg/day M-CSF and 20 micrograms/kg/day G-CSF were injected subcutaneously every day on day 0 to day 14 starting simultaneously with virus inoculation. Serum interferon-alpha was measured periodically. The survival rate of the M-CSF group was higher than that of the untreated control group (p < 0.05). On days 7 and 14 cardiac disease was significantly lower in the M-CSF group than in the untreated control group. Myocardial virus titers on day 7 in the M-CSF group were lower compared with those of the untreated control group. No significant difference was seen in the survival, cardiac disease, or myocardial virus titers between the G-CSF and the control groups. Monocyte counts on days 7 and 14 in the M-CSF group were increased compared with those in the control group. Serum interferon-alpha titers in the M-CSF and G-CSF groups on day 4 and those in the M-CSF group on day 7 were significantly increased in comparison with those of the untreated control group. We conclude that M-CSF but not G-CSF has the potency to limit myocardial virus titers and to reduce cardiac disease in the acute coxsackievirus B3 myocarditis. This ability is associated with an elevated interferon-alpha. Thus macrophages may play a defensive role in this model.
D000208:Acute Disease; D000818:Animals; D003384:Coxsackievirus Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D029822:Enterovirus B, Human; D016179:Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000097:blood*; D016173:Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D009205:Myocarditis / Q000097:blood / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy* / Q000821:virology*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D016898:Interferon-alpha; D016179:Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor; D016173:Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor