scholarly journals The Potential Role of COVID-19 in the Pathogenesis of Multiple Sclerosis—A Preliminary Report

Viruses ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 2091
Author(s):  
Noothan J. Satheesh ◽  
Salam Salloum-Asfar ◽  
Sara A. Abdulla

Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious respiratory disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that mainly affects the lungs. COVID-19 symptoms include the presence of fevers, dry coughs, fatigue, sore throat, headaches, diarrhea, and a loss of taste or smell. However, it is understood that SARS-CoV-2 is neurotoxic and neuro-invasive and could enter the central nervous system (CNS) via the hematogenous route or via the peripheral nerve route and causes encephalitis, encephalopathy, and acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM) in COVID-19 patients. This review discusses the possibility of SARS-CoV-2-mediated Multiple Sclerosis (MS) development in the future, comparable to the surge in Parkinson’s disease cases following the Spanish Flu in 1918. Moreover, the SARS-CoV-2 infection is associated with a cytokine storm. This review highlights the impact of these modulated cytokines on glial cell interactions within the CNS and their role in potentially prompting MS development as a secondary disease by SARS-CoV-2. SARS-CoV-2 is neurotropic and could interfere with various functions of neurons leading to MS development. The influence of neuroinflammation, microglia phagocytotic capabilities, as well as hypoxia-mediated mitochondrial dysfunction and neurodegeneration, are mechanisms that may ultimately trigger MS development.

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Austin P. Passaro ◽  
Abraham L. Lebos ◽  
Yao Yao ◽  
Steven L. Stice

Neuroinflammation is a key component of neurological disorders and is an important therapeutic target; however, immunotherapies have been largely unsuccessful. In cases where these therapies have succeeded, particularly multiple sclerosis, they have primarily focused on one aspect of the disease and leave room for improvement. More recently, the impact of the peripheral immune system is being recognized, since it has become evident that the central nervous system is not immune-privileged, as once thought. In this review, we highlight key interactions between central and peripheral immune cells in neurological disorders. While traditional approaches have examined these systems separately, the immune responses and processes in neurological disorders consist of substantial crosstalk between cells of the central and peripheral immune systems. Here, we provide an overview of major immune effector cells and the role of the blood-brain barrier in regard to neurological disorders and provide examples of this crosstalk in various disorders, including stroke and traumatic brain injury, multiple sclerosis, neurodegenerative diseases, and brain cancer. Finally, we propose targeting central-peripheral immune interactions as a potential improved therapeutic strategy to overcome failures in clinical translation.


2014 ◽  
Vol 20 (11) ◽  
pp. 1439-1442 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcin P Mycko ◽  
Howard L Weiner ◽  
Krzysztof W Selmaj

More than 80% of the human genome is biochemically active, whereas less than 3% of the genome encodes proteins. The emerging field of non-coding ribonucleic acids (RNAs) that are products of the genome, but do not program proteins, has revolutionized our understanding of cell biology. This was followed by a growing interest in the role of non-coding RNAs in the pathogenesis of human diseases, including multiple sclerosis (MS). In April 2013, a symposium in Warsaw, Poland, was the first meeting entirely dedicated to advances in the understanding of the roles of various subclasses of non-coding RNAs and showcased their involvement in autoimmune demyelination and MS. New mechanisms of action of small non-coding RNAs, as well as the advent of long non-coding RNAs were discussed, including the potential role of non-coding RNAs as MS biomarkers and their use for therapeutic intervention in MS.


ISRN Virology ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joséphine M. Reynaud ◽  
Branka Horvat

Human herpesvirus (HHV-) 6A and HHV-6B are two distinct β-herpesviruses which have been associated with various neurological diseases, including encephalitis, meningitis, epilepsy, and multiple sclerosis. Although the reactivation of both viruses is recognized as the cause of some neurological complications in conditions of immunosuppression, their involvement in neuroinflammatory diseases in immunocompetent people is still unclear, and the mechanisms involved have not been completely elucidated. Here, we review the available data providing evidence for the capacity of HHV-6A and -6B to infect the central nervous system and to induce proinflammatory responses by infected cells. We discuss the potential role of both viruses in neuroinflammatory pathologies and the mechanisms which could explain virus-induced neuropathogenesis.


2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 185-201 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seyed Amir Miratashi Yazdi ◽  
Mehdi Abbasi ◽  
Seyed Masoud Miratashi Yazdi

AbstractVitamin D has been considered as neurosteroid, and its pivotal role in neuroprotection, brain development, and immunomodulation has been noticed in studies; however, our knowledge regarding its role in neurological disorders is still developing. The potential role of vitamin D in the pathophysiology and treatment of epilepsy, as one the most prevalent neurological disorders, has received less attention in recent years. In this article, we review the possible relationship between vitamin D and epilepsy from different aspects, including the action mechanism of vitamin D in the central nervous system and ecological and epidemiological findings. We also present the outcome of studies that evaluated the level of vitamin D and the impact of administrating vitamin D in epileptic patients or animal subjects. We also review the current evidence on interactions between vitamin D and antiepileptic drugs.


2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 449-453
Author(s):  
Jacob A. Kahn ◽  
Jeffrey T. Waltz ◽  
Ramin M. Eskandari ◽  
Cynthia T. Welsh ◽  
Michael U. Antonucci

The authors report an unusual presentation of juvenile xanthogranuloma (JXG), a non–Langerhans cell histiocytosis of infancy and early childhood. This entity typically presents as a cutaneous head or neck nodule but can manifest with more systemic involvement including in the central nervous system. However, currently there is limited information regarding specific imaging features differentiating JXG from other neuropathological entities, with diagnosis typically made only after tissue sampling. The authors reviewed the initial images of a young patient with shunt-treated hydrocephalus and enlarging, chronic, extraaxial processes presumed to reflect subdural collections from overshunting, and they examine the operative discovery of a mass lesion that was pathologically proven to be JXG. Their results incorporate the important associated histological and advanced imaging features, including previously unreported metabolic activity on FDG PET. Ultimately, the case underscores the need to consider JXG in differential diagnoses of pediatric intracranial masses and highlights the potential role of PET in the initial diagnosis and response to treatment.


2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 163-177
Author(s):  
Mohammad Sadegh Hesamian ◽  
Nahid Eskandari

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an unpredictable disease of the central nervous system. The cause of MS is not known completely, and pathology is specified by involved demyelinated areas in the white and gray matter of the brain and spinal cord. Inflammation and peripheral tolerance breakdown due to Treg cell defects and/or effector cell resistance are present at all stages of the disease. Several invading peripheral immune cells are included in the process of the disease such as macrophages, CD8+ T cells, CD4+ T cells, B cells, and plasma cells. Trace elements are known as elements found in soil, plants, and living organisms in small quantities. Some of them (e.g., Al, Cu, Zn, Mn, and Se) are essential for the body’s functions like catalysts in enzyme systems, energy metabolism, etc. Al toxicity and Cu, Zn, and Se toxicity and deficiency can affect the immune system and following neuron inflammation and degeneration. These processes may result in MS pathology. Of course, factors such as lifestyle, environment, and industrialization can affect levels of trace elements in the human body.


Genome ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Bahar Patlar ◽  
Alberto Civetta

It has long been acknowledged that changes in the regulation of gene expression may account for major organismal differences. However, we still do not fully understand how changes in gene expression evolve and how do such changes influence organisms’ differences. We are even less aware of the impact such changes might have in restricting gene flow between species. Here, we focus on studies of gene expression and speciation in the Drosophila model. We review studies that have identified gene interactions in post-mating reproductive isolation and speciation, particularly those that modulate male gene expression. We also address studies that have experimentally manipulated changes in gene expression to test their effect in post-mating reproductive isolation. We highlight the need for a more in-depth analysis of the role of selection causing disrupted gene expression of such candidate genes in sterile/inviable hybrids. Moreover, we discuss the relevance to incorporate more routinely assays that simultaneously evaluate the potential effects of environmental factors and genetic background in modulating plastic responses in male genes and their potential role in speciation.


2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (03) ◽  
pp. 164-170
Author(s):  
Rachel Gottlieb-Smith ◽  
Amy Waldman

AbstractAcquired demyelinating syndromes (ADS) present with acute or subacute monofocal or polyfocal neurologic deficits localizing to the central nervous system. The clinical features of distinct ADS have been carefully characterized including optic neuritis, transverse myelitis, and acute disseminated encephalomyelitis. These disorders may all be monophasic disorders. Alternatively, optic neuritis, partial transverse myelitis, and acute disseminated encephalomyelitis may be first presentations of a relapsing or polyphasic neuroinflammatory disorder, such as multiple sclerosis or neuromyelitis optica. The clinical features of these disorders and the differential diagnosis are discussed in this article.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 335
Author(s):  
María José Zarzuelo Romero ◽  
Cristina Pérez Ramírez ◽  
María Isabel Carrasco Campos ◽  
Almudena Sánchez Martín ◽  
Miguel Ángel Calleja Hernández ◽  
...  

The introduction of new therapies for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) is a very recent phenomenon and little is known of their mechanism of action. Moreover, the response is subject to interindividual variability and may be affected by genetic factors, such as polymorphisms in the genes implicated in the pathologic environment, pharmacodynamics, and metabolism of the disease or in the mechanism of action of the medications, influencing the effectiveness of these therapies. This review evaluates the impact of pharmacogenetics on the response to treatment with new therapies in patients diagnosed with MS. The results suggest that polymorphisms detected in the GSTP1, ITGA4, NQO1, AKT1, and GP6 genes, for treatment with natalizumab, ZMIZ1, for fingolimod and dimethyl fumarate, ADA, for cladribine, and NOX3, for dimethyl fumarate, may be used in the future as predictive markers of treatment response to new therapies in MS patients. However, there are few existing studies and their samples are small, making it difficult to generalize the role of these genes in treatment with new therapies. Studies with larger sample sizes and longer follow-up are therefore needed to confirm the results of these studies.


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