title: The peptide AF-16 abolishes sickness and death at experimental encephalitis by reducing increase of intracranial pressure.
abstract: Elevated intracranial pressure (ICP) is strongly aggravating the injury at brain inflammation, resulting in persistent neurological and psychiatric malfunctions. There is no efficient pharmacological treatment to achieve beneficial ICP reduction. Here, the peptide AF-16, comprising the amino terminal part of the endogenous protein Antisecretory Factor (AF), was used to suppress the raised ICP in experimental herpes simplex encephalitis (HSE) in rats. Intranasal instillation of the peptide AF-16 counteracted the ICP elevation and the prevalence of ICP spikes, abrogated the neurological morbidity, and abolished the mortality in a dose-dependent manner. AF-16, 25 microg twice daily intranasally, rescued all animals with HSE and abrogated neurological malfunction. In contrast, only 10% of the rats survived if treated with the vehicle. A single intranasal dose of 25 microg AF-16 to a rat displaying overt HSE symptoms reduced the ICP to normal levels within an hour. No effects on viral replication or antigen distribution were demonstrable. Thus, AF-16 abolished the prevalence of sickness signs, ICP elevation, neurological malfunctions and completely prevented deaths. We advocate use of AF-16 for suppression of elevated ICP.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biomedicine, University of Gothenburg, SE 413 46 Göteborg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Jennische
authors.forename: Tomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bergström
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Johansson
authors.forename: Kristina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nyström
authors.forename: Andrej
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tarkowski
authors.forename: Hans-Arne
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Hansson
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lange
mesh_terms: D000281:Administration, Intranasal; D000818:Animals; D000930:Antidiarrheals / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D020803:Encephalitis, Herpes Simplex / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000821:virology; D018259:Herpesvirus 1, Human / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D019586:Intracranial Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D007427:Intracranial Pressure / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D009479:Neuropeptides / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010455:Peptides / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000930:Antidiarrheals; D009479:Neuropeptides; D010455:Peptides; C049628:antisecretory factor; C533586:peptide AF-16