Cytokines and inflammatory mediators: Markers involved in interstitial damage to the pancreas in two dengue fever cases associated with acute pancreatitis

Abstract

Dengue viral (DENV) infections can lead to acute pancreatitis and associated tissue damage. This study examined the pancreas from two fatal cases of DENV for histopathological changes as well as for the detection of cytokines, and other inflammatory mediators. Tissue sections were prepared for examination by ultrastructural and histopathological techniques. Sections from the pancreas of non-infected individuals were prepared in parallel as a control. The presence of viral replication in macrophages was detected by co-staining for the proteins NS3 and CD68 by immunofluorescence. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect cells that expressed cytokines and inflammatory mediators to characterize the inflammatory response. Edema, acinar necrosis and fibrosis areas associated with a mononuclear infiltrate were found in infected tissues. The major site of virus replication appeared to be macrophages based on their exclusive presentation of the viral protein NS3. Pancreatic tissues from the infected individuals also displayed increased levels of high mobility group box-1, caspase-3, gelatinase B and tumor necrosis factor alpha compared to controls. The presence of virus replicating macrophages in the pancreas was associated with multiple changes in tissue structure that included elevated levels of cytokines and inflammatory markers that may differentiate acute pancreatitis due to DENV infections from other causes.

Liver immunopathogenesis in fatal cases of dengue in children: detection of viral antigen, cytokine profile and inflammatory mediators

“…More recently, we also observed renal tissues of dengue fatal cases in children associated to DENV with the development of acute renal injury and glomerulonephritis (25). Other studies approaching dengue fatal cases evidenced alterations in histopathology and cytokines profile of other organs such as spleen, lung, heart, kidney, pancreas and placenta (23,24,(26)(27)(28)(29)(30).…”

Impact of apoptotic biomarkers for prognosis of dengue disease severity among eastern Indian patients

“…Caspase‐8 activation has been previously found in DENV‐infected monocytes 21 . Earlier studies have also suggested caspase‐3 activation during post‐DENV‐infection in primary human endothelial cells of umbilical vein and pancreatic tissue origin from DENV‐infected patients and C57BL/6 mice 20,22,23 . Also, caspase‐7 has been found to be activated during HSV‐1, SARS‐CoV‐2, influenza and HCV mediated infections, thereby resulting in apoptosis 24–27 .…”

Local Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells Impair Progression of Experimental Autoimmune Uveitis by Alleviating Oxidative Stress and Inflammation

“…The quantification of field image was performed by calculating the percentage of cytokine area or the number of positive cell counts using the software Image J, as previously described. 38 Each group consisted of three or four animals, and all quantification of retinal images was evaluated in a blinded manner as the mean of three or four selected images for each group.…”