Beta-endorphin protects mice from neurological disease induced by the murine coronavirus MHV-JHM.
The neurotropic murine coronavirus, MHV-JHM (JHMV) causes encephalitis and paralytic-demyelinating disease in susceptible strains of mice and rats, serving as a model for human demyelinating diseases such as multiple sclerosis. In this communication, we report that a single intracerebral administration of the naturally occurring neuropeptide, beta-endorphin, reduced the incidence of JHMV-induced paralytic-demyelinating disease 40-50% in C57Bl/6 mice. Protection from disease was accompanied by significantly reduced virus replication in the brain as early as 3 days post-infection and did not occur in irradiated, or immunoincompetent mice. The data suggest that beta-endorphin engages immune mechanisms of host resistance to JHMV infection to protect the mice from disease.
Gilmore
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Department of Neurology, USC School of Medicine, Los Angeles 90033.
Moradzadeh
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D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood; D001921:Brain / Q000382:microbiology; D018352:Coronavirus Infections / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology; D003711:Demyelinating Diseases / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D006517:Murine hepatitis virus / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology; D010243:Paralysis / Q000517:prevention & control*; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship; D014779:Virus Replication; D014916:Whole-Body Irradiation; D001615:beta-Endorphin / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D001615:beta-Endorphin