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Mouse Adapted SARS-CoV-2 (MA10) Viral Infection Induces Neuroinflammation in Standard Laboratory Mice
- Source :
- Viruses, Vol 15, Iss 1, p 114 (2022)
- Publication Year :
- 2022
- Publisher :
- MDPI AG, 2022.
-
Abstract
- Increasing evidence suggests that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection impacts neurological function both acutely and chronically, even in the absence of pronounced respiratory distress. Developing clinically relevant laboratory mouse models of the neuropathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2 infection is an important step toward elucidating the underlying mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2-induced neurological dysfunction. Although various transgenic models and viral delivery methods have been used to study the infection potential of SARS-CoV-2 in mice, the use of commonly available laboratory mice would facilitate the study of SARS-CoV-2 neuropathology. Herein we show neuroinflammatory profiles of immunologically intact mice, C57BL/6J and BALB/c, as well as immunodeficient (Rag2−/−) mice, to a mouse-adapted strain of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2 (MA10)). Our findings indicate that brain IL-6 levels are significantly higher in BALB/c male mice infected with SARS-CoV-2 MA10. Additionally, blood-brain barrier integrity, as measured by the vascular tight junction protein claudin-5, was reduced by SARS-CoV-2 MA10 infection in all three strains. Brain glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) mRNA was also elevated in male C57BL/6J infected mice compared with the mock group. Lastly, immune-vascular effects of SARS-CoV-2 (MA10), as measured by H&E scores, demonstrate an increase in perivascular lymphocyte cuffing (PLC) at 30 days post-infection among infected female BALB/c mice with a significant increase in PLC over time only in SARS-CoV-2 MA10) infected mice. Our study is the first to demonstrate that SARS-CoV-2 (MA10) infection induces neuroinflammation in laboratory mice and could be used as a novel model to study SARS-CoV-2-mediated cerebrovascular pathology.
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 19994915
- Volume :
- 15
- Issue :
- 1
- Database :
- Directory of Open Access Journals
- Journal :
- Viruses
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- edsdoj.29f62d281baf4dbd994cb9b3f98e825a
- Document Type :
- article
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.3390/v15010114