title: B7 homolog 3 aggravates brain injury in a murine model ofStreptococcus pneumoniae-induced meningitis.
abstract: Despite the application of antibiotics,Streptococcus pneumoniae(SP)-induced meningitis continues to be a life-threatening disease with a high fatality rate and an elevated risk of serious neurological sequelae, particularly in developing countries. In this study, the contribution of the co-stimulatory molecule B7 homolog 3 (B7-H3) to the pathogenesis of experimental SP-induced meningitis was investigated. Mice were challenged with the intracerebroventricular injection of serotype 3 SP with or without B7-H3. The clinical status of mice with SP-induced meningitis was examined by body weight loss and spontaneous motor activity with neurological scoring. Coronal brain sections were analyzed by counting Nissl-positive neurons and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end-labeling (TUNEL)-positive cells. Protein expression of neuron-specific enolase (NSE) and S100B in brain tissues was examined with immunohistochemical staining. All experiments were performed in a randomized and blinded setting. By the intracerebroventricular injection of SP suspension, a murine model of pneumococcal meningitis was successfully established. In this SP-induced meningitis model, B7-H3 deteriorated the clinical status, as manifested by a decreased neurological score and increased body weight loss. Following the B7-H3 challenge, the number of Nissl-positive cells decreased and TUNEL-stained positive cells increased in the brain tissues of mice with SP meningitis, which demonstrates the enhancement of neuronal necrosis and apoptosis, respectively. Protein expression of NSE was decreased, while that of S100B was increased. Thesein vivofindings indicate that B7-H3 aggravates brain injury during the pathological process of experimental SP-induced meningitis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Children's Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215003, P.R. China ; Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Translational Research and Therapy for Neuro-Psycho-Diseases, Institute of Neuroscience, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215006, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Xuqin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Children's Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215003, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Yanping
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Children's Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215003, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Zhedong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215004, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Ruhong
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Children's Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215003, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Children's Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215003, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Xiangying
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Meng
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Children's Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215003, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pediatric Medicine, Children's Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215003, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Jianghuai
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pediatric Medicine, Children's Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215003, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
keywords: B7-homolog 3; S100B; Streptococcus pneumoniae meningitis; brain injury; neuron-specific enolase