BACKGROUND Viral myocarditis, which is most prevalently caused by Coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) infection, is a serious clinical condition characterized by cardiac inflammation. However, efficient therapies targeting inflammation are still lacking and much needed. A20, also known as tumor necrosis factor alpha induced protein 3 (TNFAIP3) is a key negative regulator of inflammation. But whether A20 m...

We cloned the sequence encoding murine interleukin-4 (mIL-4), including the secretory signal, into the genome of CVB3/0, an artificially attenuated strain of coxsackievirus B3, at the junction of the capsid protein 1D and the viral protease 2Apro. Two strains of chimeric CVB3 were constructed using, in one case, identical sequences to encode 2Apro cleavage sites (CVB3/0-mIL4/47) on either side ...

Abstract Sex is a significant contributor to the outcome of human infections. Males are frequently more susceptible viral, bacterial, and fungal infections, often attributed weaker immune responses. In contrast, heightened response in females enables better pathogen elimination but leaves predisposed autoimmune diseases. Unfortunately, underlying basis for sex-specific responses remains poorly ...

AIMS To evaluate the stability of coxsackievirus B (CVB) genome integrated with the enhanced green fluorescent protein gene (egfp) and provide valuable information for the use of the recombinant CVB variant. METHODS A CVB3 variant expressing eGFP was constructed by insertion of the egfp open-reading frame (ORF) at the 5' end of CVB3 ORF. The recombinant virus CVB3-eGFP was serially passaged i...

Infections by pathogens may lead to cardiovascular diseases, including acute/chronic myocarditis. (Coxsackieviruses B3) CVB3 is considered to be the most common causative agent in m‑yocarditis, which can lead to dilated cardiomyopathy. The present study aimed to investigate the mechanism of CVB3‑infected myocardial microvascular endothelial cells. The CVB3 infection was detected by 50% tissue c...

The genetic site(s) that naturally determine the cardiovirulence phenotype of coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) have yet to be mapped. Using two closely related CVB3 strains that differed in terms of cardiovirulence phenotype in mice, we previously reported the difference in phenotype mapped to a single site, nucleotide 234 (nt234) in the 5' non-translated region (NTR) of the CVB3 genome. When nt234 was...

GYY4137 is a water‑soluble, small molecule hydrogen sulfide (H2S)‑release agent that possesses potent cardioprotective and anti‑inflammatory properties in experimental models. Coxsackie virus B3 (CVB3) infection commonly causes viral myocarditis, which mainly involves immune cell infiltration, eventually resulting in heart failure. In the present study, the effects and underlying mechanisms of ...

Mesenchymal stromal cell (MSC) application in Coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3)-induced myocarditis reduces myocardial inflammation and fibrosis, exerts prominent extra-cardiac immunomodulation, and improves heart function. Although the abovementioned findings demonstrate the benefit of MSC application, the mechanism of the MSC immunomodulatory effects leading to a final cardioprotective outcome in vira...

Clinical and laboratory investigations have demonstrated the involvement of viruses and bacteria as potential causative agents in cardiovascular disease and have specifically found coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) to be a leading cause. Experimental data indicate that cytokines are involved in controlling CVB3 replication. Therefore, recombinant CVB3 (CVB3rec) variants expressing the T-helper-1 (T(H)1)...

BACKGROUND Under conventional heart failure therapy, inflammatory cardiomyopathy typically has a progressive course, indicating a need for alternative therapeutic strategies to improve long-term outcomes. We recently isolated and identified novel cardiac-derived cells from human cardiac biopsies: cardiac-derived adherent proliferating cells (CAPs). They have similarities with mesenchymal stroma...