Hyperinduction of cyclooxygenase-2-mediated proinflammatory cascade: a mechanism for the pathogenesis of avian influenza H5N1 infection.
Lee SM,
Cheung CY,
Nicholls JM,
Hui KP,
Leung CY,
Uiprasertkul M,
Tipoe GL,
Lau YL,
Poon LL,
Ip NY,
Guan Y,
Peiris JS.
Department of Microbiology, Siriraj Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand.
The mechanism for the pathogenesis of H5N1 infection in humans remains unclear. This study reveals that cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) was strongly induced in H5N1-infected macrophages in vitro and in epithelial cells of lung tissue samples obtained during autopsy of patients who died of H5N1 disease. Novel findings demonstrated that COX-2, along with tumor necrosis factor alpha and other proinflammatory cytokines were hyperinduced in epithelial cells by secretory factors from H5N1-infected macrophages in vitro. This amplification of the proinflammatory response is rapid, and the effects elicited by the H5N1-triggered proinflammatory cascade are broader than those arising from direct viral infection. Furthermore, selective COX-2 inhibitors suppress the hyperinduction of cytokines in the proinflammatory cascade, indicating a regulatory role for COX-2 in the H5N1-hyperinduced host proinflammatory cascade. These data provide a basis for the possible development of novel therapeutic interventions for the treatment of H5N1 disease, as adjuncts to antiviral drugs.
PMID: 18613795 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]