title: Cocaine injection and coxsackievirus B3 infection increase heart disease during murine AIDS.
abstract: Coxsackievirus initiates myocarditis especially in the immunologically deficient or immature. To test whether Coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) induced pronounced cardiomyopathy during severe immune dysfunction of murine AIDS, female C57BL/6 mice were infected with LP-BM5 retrovirus and superinfected with CVB3. Some were also injected daily with cocaine hydrochloride in 0.9% saline solution (30 mg/kg) intraperitoneally, because cocaine also suppresses cellular immune response. Heart tissue was analyzed histopathologically. Mice experiencing concurrent retrovirus and Coxsackievirus infection had a high degree of cardiac lesions consistent with myopathy compared with findings in uninfected animals (p <.05). Cocaine injection during murine retrovirus infection greatly exacerbated the pathogenesis of Coxsackievirus infection. C57BL/6 mice, essentially resistant to Coxsackievirus-induced cardiomyopathy, became susceptible during the immune dysfunction in murine AIDS. This suggests that retrovirus infection causes conditions favoring Coxsackie-induced cardiac lesions. Interleukin (IL)-2 and IL-4 expression by splenocytes from the dually infected retrovirus and Coxsackievirus group showed no significant differences when the animals were also cocaine treated. However tumor necrosis factor TNF-alpha production was significantly decreased in dually infected retrovirus + Coxsackievirus mice treated with cocaine, compared with findings in various controls (p <.05).
authors: Arizona Prevention Center, University of Arizona, Tucson 85724, USA. Rwatson@U.Arizona.edu
authors: R T
authors: RT
authors: Sepúlveda
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Jiang
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Beischel
authors: W T
authors: WT
authors: Bellamy
authors: R R
authors: RR
authors: Watson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D009202:Cardiomyopathies / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology*; D003042:Cocaine / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000494:pharmacology; D003345:Corticosterone / Q000097:blood; D003384:Coxsackievirus Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology; D016207:Cytokines / Q000096:biosynthesis; D016228:Endothelial Growth Factors / Q000378:metabolism; D029822:Enterovirus B, Human / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008222:Lymphokines / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D016183:Murine Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D042442:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factors
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D016228:Endothelial Growth Factors; D008222:Lymphokines; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D042442:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factors; D003042:Cocaine; D003345:Corticosterone