Breakthrough study identifies potential treatments for influenza-associated encephalopathy

It might start simply, with a cough or sneeze…but in some cases, the flu virus can make its way to your brain, causing serious symptoms or even death through a disease known as influenza-associated encephalopathy (IAE).

Now, in a study published in Acta Neuropathologica, researchers have revealed that IAE may be caused by the virus entering the brain through a specific cell type, and have identified possible treatment strategies.

Although IAE is increasingly common, surprisingly little is known about how the influenza virus actually gets into the brain and causes symptoms of encephalopathy (a general term for brain disorders). Notably, a definitive treatment for IAE remains lacking, something that researchers from Osaka University wanted to address.

To study how influenza viruses might cause IAE, the research team used a range of methods. As well as looking for virus particles in the brains of people who died from IAE, they created a mouse model of the disease by injecting influenza A virus into the blood. They also used cell culture methods to look at how well the virus infects different cell types.

In the human brains, the virus-injected mice, and the cultured cells, the influenza virus tended to accumulate in endothelial cells. These cells create a barrier between the blood and the brain, and are important for protecting the brain from harmful substances."

Shihoko Kimura-Ohba, lead author of the study

Accordingly, in both the human brains and the mouse model, the barrier between the blood and the brain was compromised. Furthermore, the researchers noticed that the virus wasn't actually reproducing within these endothelial cells-;but there were a lot of proteins made by the virus.

"When we saw this viral protein accumulation in the brain, we realized that antiviral medications aimed at stopping viral proliferation were unlikely to help," says Tomonori Kimura, senior author of the study. "However, antivirals aimed at stopping viral transcription and translation-;vital processes for making proteins-;are also available."

When the team tried these classes of antivirals in endothelial cells treated with influenza virus, they observed less viral proteins and cell death. In the mouse model of IAE, these antivirals were also very effective when used early enough, suggesting that they may be useful in human patients.

Given that many different kinds of viruses, including COVID-19, can cause encephalopathy, these findings have wide-ranging impacts. Moreover, although IAE care is improving, more than half of all patients die or have long-lasting symptoms. A better understanding of how viruses can cause encephalopathy will be important for developing new, effective treatments.

Source:
Journal reference:

Kimura-Ohba, S., et al. (2024). Viral entry and translation in brain endothelia provoke influenza-associated encephalopathy. Acta Neuropathologica. doi.org/10.1007/s00401-024-02723-z.

Comments

The opinions expressed here are the views of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of News Medical.
Post a new comment
Post

While we only use edited and approved content for Azthena answers, it may on occasions provide incorrect responses. Please confirm any data provided with the related suppliers or authors. We do not provide medical advice, if you search for medical information you must always consult a medical professional before acting on any information provided.

Your questions, but not your email details will be shared with OpenAI and retained for 30 days in accordance with their privacy principles.

Please do not ask questions that use sensitive or confidential information.

Read the full Terms & Conditions.

You might also like...
Study reveals hormone receptors' role in brain health and neuroprotection