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Frontiers in Immunology 2023Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is caused by an autoimmune process which culminates in the destruction of insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. It is widely believed that... (Review)
Review
Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is caused by an autoimmune process which culminates in the destruction of insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. It is widely believed that a complex and multifactorial interplay between genetic and environmental factors, such as viruses, play a crucial role in the development of the disease. Research over the past few decades has shown that there is not one single viral culprit, nor one single genetic pathway, causing the disease. Rather, viral infections, most notably enteroviruses (EV), appear to accelerate the autoimmune process leading to T1D and are often seen as a precipitator of clinical diagnosis. In support of this hypothesis, the use of anti-viral drugs has recently shown efficacy in preserving beta cell function after onset of diabetes. In this review, we will discuss the various pathways that viral infections utilize to accelerate the development of T1D. There are three key mechanisms linking viral infections to beta-cell death: One is modulated by the direct infection of islets by viruses, resulting in their impaired function, another occurs in a more indirect fashion, by modulating the immune system, and the third is caused by heightened stress on the beta-cell by interferon-mediated increase of insulin resistance. The first two aspects are surprisingly difficult to study, in the case of the former, because there are still many questions about how viruses might persist for longer time periods. In the latter, indirect/immune case, viruses might impact immunity as a hit-and-run scenario, meaning that many or all direct viral footprints quickly vanish, while changes imprinted upon the immune system and the anti-islet autoimmune response persist. Given the fact that viruses are often associated with the precipitation of clinical autoimmunity, there are concerns regarding the impact of the recent global coronavirus-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on the development of autoimmune disease. The long-term effects of COVID-19 infection on T1D will therefore be discussed, including the increased development of new cases of T1D. Understanding the interplay between viral infections and autoimmunity is crucial for advancing our knowledge in this field and developing targeted therapeutic interventions. In this review we will examine the intricate relationship between viral infections and autoimmunity and discuss potential considerations for prevention and treatment strategies.
Topics: Humans; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1; Pancreas; Enterovirus Infections; Virus Diseases; Coronavirus Infections; COVID-19
PubMed: 38239343
DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1326711 -
Frontiers in Endocrinology 2022Although type 1 diabetes (T1D) is primarily a disease of the pancreatic beta-cells, understanding of the disease-associated alterations in the whole pancreas could be...
Although type 1 diabetes (T1D) is primarily a disease of the pancreatic beta-cells, understanding of the disease-associated alterations in the whole pancreas could be important for the improved treatment or the prevention of the disease. We have characterized the whole-pancreas gene expression of patients with recently diagnosed T1D from the Diabetes Virus Detection (DiViD) study and non-diabetic controls. Furthermore, another parallel dataset of the whole pancreas and an additional dataset from the laser-captured pancreatic islets of the DiViD patients and non-diabetic organ donors were analyzed together with the original dataset to confirm the results and to get further insights into the potential disease-associated differences between the exocrine and the endocrine pancreas. First, higher expression of the core acinar cell genes, encoding for digestive enzymes, was detected in the whole pancreas of the DiViD patients when compared to non-diabetic controls. Second, In the pancreatic islets, upregulation of immune and inflammation related genes was observed in the DiViD patients when compared to non-diabetic controls, in line with earlier publications, while an opposite trend was observed for several immune and inflammation related genes at the whole pancreas tissue level. Third, strong downregulation of the regenerating gene family () genes, linked to pancreatic islet growth and regeneration, was observed in the exocrine acinar cell dominated whole-pancreas data of the DiViD patients when compared with the non-diabetic controls. Fourth, analysis of unique features in the transcriptomes of each DiViD patient compared with the other DiViD patients, revealed elevated expression of central antiviral immune response genes in the whole-pancreas samples, but not in the pancreatic islets, of one DiViD patient. This difference in the extent of antiviral gene expression suggests different statuses of infection in the pancreas at the time of sampling between the DiViD patients, who were all enterovirus + in the islets by immunohistochemistry based on earlier studies. The observed features, indicating differences in the function, status and interplay between the exocrine and the endocrine pancreas of recent onset T1D patients, highlight the importance of studying both compartments for better understanding of the molecular mechanisms of T1D.
Topics: Antiviral Agents; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1; Humans; Inflammation; Pancreas; Pancreas, Exocrine; Transcriptome
PubMed: 35498413
DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2022.861985 -
Journal of Gastroenterology Feb 2024Autoimmune gastritis (AIG) is a prevalent chronic inflammatory disease with oncogenic potential that causes destruction of parietal cells and severe mucosal atrophy. We...
BACKGROUND
Autoimmune gastritis (AIG) is a prevalent chronic inflammatory disease with oncogenic potential that causes destruction of parietal cells and severe mucosal atrophy. We aimed to explore the distinctive gene expression profiles, activated signaling pathways, and their underlying mechanisms.
METHODS
A comprehensive gene expression analysis was conducted using biopsy specimens from AIG, Helicobacter pylori-associated gastritis (HPG), and non-inflammatory normal stomachs. Gastric cancer cell lines were cultured under acidic (pH 6.5) conditions to evaluate changes in gene expression.
RESULTS
Gastric mucosa with AIG had a unique gene expression profile compared with that with HPG and normal mucosa, such as extensively low expression of ATP4A and high expression of GAST and PAPPA2, which are involved in neuroendocrine tumorigenesis. Additionally, the mucosa with AIG and HPG showed the downregulation of stomach-specific genes and upregulation of small intestine-specific genes; however, intestinal trans-differentiation was much more prominent in AIG samples, likely in a CDX-dependent manner. Furthermore, AIG induced ectopic expression of pancreatic digestion-related genes, PNLIP, CEL, CTRB1, and CTRC; and a master regulator gene of the lung, NKX2-1/TTF1 with alveolar fluid secretion-related genes, SFTPB and SFTPC. Mechanistically, acidic conditions led to the downregulation of master regulator and stemness control genes of small intestine, suggesting that increased environmental pH may cause abnormal intestinal differentiation in the stomach.
CONCLUSIONS
AIG induces diverse trans-differentiation in the gastric mucosa, characterized by the transactivation of genes specific to the small intestine, pancreas, and lung. Increased environmental pH owing to AIG may cause abnormal differentiation of the gastric mucosa.
Topics: Humans; Autoimmune Diseases; Gastritis; Gastric Mucosa; Pancreas; Cell Transdifferentiation; Helicobacter Infections; Helicobacter pylori
PubMed: 37962678
DOI: 10.1007/s00535-023-02055-x -
Transplant International : Official... 2024The total burden of infections after transplantation has not been compared in detail between recipients of simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplantation (SPK) and kidney...
The total burden of infections after transplantation has not been compared in detail between recipients of simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplantation (SPK) and kidney transplantation alone (KTA). We compared infection-related hospitalizations and bacteremias after transplantation during 1- and 5-year follow-up among 162 patients undergoing SPK. The control group consisted of 153 type 1 diabetics undergoing KTA with the inclusion criteria of donor and recipient age < 60, and BMI < 30. During the first year, SPK patients had more infection-related hospitalizations (0.54 vs. 0.31 PPY, IRR 1.76, = <0.001) and bacteremias (0.11 vs. 0.01 PPY, IRR 17.12, = <0.001) compared to KTA patients. The first infection-related hospitalizations and bacteremias occurred later during follow-up in KTA patients. SPK was an independent risk factor for infection-related hospitalization and bacteremia during the first year after transplantation, but not during the 5-year follow-up. Patient survival did not differ between groups, however, KTA patients had inferior kidney graft survival. SPK patients are at greater risk for infection-related hospitalizations and bacteremias during the first year after transplantation compared to KTA patients, however, at the end of the follow-up the risk of infection was similar between groups.
Topics: Humans; Kidney Transplantation; Kidney; Bacteremia; Hospitalization; Pancreas
PubMed: 38444997
DOI: 10.3389/ti.2024.12235 -
Virology Jun 2000Coxsackievirus type B (CVB) infection of the pancreas induces a massive cellular infiltrate composed of natural killer cells, T cells, and macrophages and leads to the...
Coxsackievirus type B (CVB) infection of the pancreas induces a massive cellular infiltrate composed of natural killer cells, T cells, and macrophages and leads to the destruction of exocrine tissue. The physiological manifestations of pancreatic CVB infection are correlated with viral tropism; the virus infects acinar cells but spares the islets of Langerhans. Here we evaluate the mechanisms underlying pancreatic inflammation and destruction and identify the determinants of viral tropism. T-cell-mediated immunopathology has been invoked, along with direct virus-mediated cytopathicity, to explain certain aspects of CVB-induced pancreatic disease. However, we show here that in the pancreas, the extent of inflammation and tissue destruction appears unaltered in the absence of the cytolytic protein perforin; these findings exclude any requirement for perforin-mediated lysis by natural killer cells or cytotoxic T cells in CVB3-induced pancreatic damage. Furthermore, perforin-mediated cytotoxic T-cell activity does not contribute to the control of CVB infection in this organ. In addition, we demonstrate that the recently identified coxsackie-adenovirus receptor is expressed at high levels in acinar cells but is barely detectable in islets, which is consistent with its being a major determinant of virus tropism and, therefore, of disease. However, further studies using various cell lines of pancreatic origin reveal secondary determinants of virus tropism.
Topics: Animals; CD55 Antigens; Coxsackie and Adenovirus Receptor-Like Membrane Protein; Coxsackievirus Infections; Enterovirus B, Human; Gene Expression; HeLa Cells; Humans; Killer Cells, Natural; Male; Membrane Glycoproteins; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Pancreas; Perforin; Pore Forming Cytotoxic Proteins; RNA, Viral; Receptors, Virus; T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic; Tissue Distribution; Transfection; Tumor Cells, Cultured
PubMed: 10860882
DOI: 10.1006/viro.2000.0332 -
World Journal of Gastroenterology Mar 2017To review microbiome alterations associated with pancreatic cancer, its potential utility in diagnostics, risk assessment, and influence on disease outcomes. (Review)
Review
AIM
To review microbiome alterations associated with pancreatic cancer, its potential utility in diagnostics, risk assessment, and influence on disease outcomes.
METHODS
A comprehensive literature review was conducted by all-inclusive topic review from PubMed, MEDLINE, and Web of Science. The last search was performed in October 2016.
RESULTS
Diverse microbiome alterations exist among several body sites including oral, gut, and pancreatic tissue, in patients with pancreatic cancer compared to healthy populations.
CONCLUSION
Pilot study successes in non-invasive screening strategies warrant further investigation for future translational application in early diagnostics and to learn modifiable risk factors relevant to disease prevention. Pre-clinical investigations exist in other tumor types that suggest microbiome manipulation provides opportunity to favorably transform cancer response to existing treatment protocols and improve survival.
Topics: Carcinogenesis; Helicobacter pylori; Humans; Microbiota; Pancreas; Pancreatic Neoplasms; Risk Assessment; Risk Factors
PubMed: 28348497
DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v23.i10.1899 -
Archives of Pathology & Laboratory... Feb 2003Lesions of the pancreas induced by viral infection have drawn relatively little attention because of their low incidence, and the histopathologic features of viral...
Lesions of the pancreas induced by viral infection have drawn relatively little attention because of their low incidence, and the histopathologic features of viral pancreatitis have not been fully elucidated. We report the autopsy findings of 2 patients, a 59-year-old woman with allergic granulomatous angiitis and a 73-year-old man with invasive pulmonary aspergillosis who had a disseminated visceral herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection. In both cases, the liver was the organ most severely affected by the viral infection. The pancreas showed multiple small foci of hemorrhagic necrosis, which were not accompanied by fat necrosis of the surrounding adipose tissue. Histopathologically, Cowdry type A intranuclear inclusions and a ground-glass appearance of the nuclei were found in many degenerated acinar cells around the necrotic foci. The gross appearance and histopathologic features of HSV pancreatitis were characteristic and, in particular, distinct from those of the more common acute hemorrhagic pancreatitis. Immunohistochemistry using an anti-HSV antibody revealed immunoreactivity in the intranuclear inclusions and ground-glass nuclei, and polymerase chain reaction analysis disclosed that the causative virus in these 2 cases was HSV-1. Herpes simplex virus pancreatitis constitutes a rare, but distinct pathologic entity among a group of acute pancreatitis diseases with diverse etiopathogenesis.
Topics: Aged; Aspergillosis, Allergic Bronchopulmonary; Autopsy; Churg-Strauss Syndrome; Female; Herpes Simplex; Humans; Liver Diseases; Male; Middle Aged; Pancreas; Pancreatitis; Simplexvirus
PubMed: 12562243
DOI: 10.5858/2003-127-231-HS -
Annals of Surgery Aug 1994Bacterial infection of pancreatic necrosis is thought to be a major determinant of outcome in acute necrotizing pancreatitis. The determinants and possibilities for...
BACKGROUND
Bacterial infection of pancreatic necrosis is thought to be a major determinant of outcome in acute necrotizing pancreatitis. The determinants and possibilities for prophylaxis are unknown and difficult to study in humans.
OBJECTIVE
The time course of bacterial infection of the pancreas in a rodent model of acute necrotizing pancreatitis was characterized. The authors ascertained if there is a correlation with the degree of necrosis.
METHODS
Acute pancreatitis (AP) of graded severity was induced under sterile conditions by an intravenous infusion of cerulein (5 micrograms/kg/hr) for 6 hours (mild AP), or a combination of intravenous cerulein with an intraductal infusion of 10-mM glycodeoxycholic acid (0.2 mL for 2 min for moderate AP, 0.5 mL for 10 min for severe AP). Sham-operated animals (intravenous and intraductal NaCl 0.9%) served as controls. Ninety-six hours after induction, animals were killed for quantitative bacterial examination and histologic scoring of necrosis. In addition, groups of animals with severe AP were investigated at 12, 24, 48, 96, and 144 hours.
RESULTS
No significant pancreatic necrosis was found in control animals (0.3 +/- 0.1) or animals with mild AP (0.6 +/- 0.1) killed at 96 hours. Necrosis scores were 1.1 +/- 0.2 for animals with moderate AP and 1.9 +/- 0.2 for animals with severe AP. Control animals did not develop significant bacterial infection of the pancreas (> or = 10(3) CFU/g). At 96 hours, the prevalence of infection was 37.5% in animals with mild AP and 50% in animals with moderate AP. In animals with severe AP, infection of the pancreas increased from 33% in the first 24 hours to 75% between 48 and 96 hours (p < 0.05). The bacterial counts and the number of different species increased with time and was maximal (> 10(11) CFU/g) at 96 hours.
CONCLUSION
Bacterial infection of the pancreas in rodent AP increases during the first several days, and its likelihood correlates with the severity of the disease. This model, which closely mimics the features of human acute pancreatitis, provides a unique opportunity to study the pathogenesis of infected necrosis and test therapeutic strategies.
Topics: Acute Disease; Animals; Bacterial Infections; Ceruletide; Colony Count, Microbial; Disease Models, Animal; Edema; Enterococcus; Escherichia coli Infections; Glycodeoxycholic Acid; Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections; Leukocytes; Male; Necrosis; Pancreas; Pancreatitis; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Staphylococcal Infections; Survival Rate; Time Factors
PubMed: 8053741
DOI: 10.1097/00000658-199408000-00011 -
Parasites & Vectors Jun 2021Zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis is caused by the protozoan Leishmania infantum and is highly lethal in humans and dogs if left untreated. The frequency of this parasite...
BACKGROUND
Zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis is caused by the protozoan Leishmania infantum and is highly lethal in humans and dogs if left untreated. The frequency of this parasite and associated histological changes in the pancreas of dogs are poorly studied. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to evaluate the frequency of detection and load of amastigotes in the pancreas of L. infantum-seropositive dogs and to identify the clinical signs and histological changes associated with parasitism of this organ.
METHODS
One hundred forty-three dogs from an endemic area in Brazil that tested seropositive for L. infantum were studied. The dogs were clinically examined, killed, and necropsied between 2013 and 2014. One fragment of the pancreas was randomly collected for histopathology and immunohistochemistry, and spleen and bone marrow were collected for culture.
RESULTS
Leishmania amastigotes were detected in the pancreas of 22 dogs (15.4%) by immunohistochemistry, all exhibiting L. infantum parasitism in the spleen and/or bone marrow. Poor body condition and cachexia were only associated with infection of the pancreas with Leishmania spp. (p = 0.021) and were found in 40.9% of dogs with pancreatic infection. Anorexia, vomiting, and/or diarrhea were observed in 9.2% of dogs with pancreatitis. The median parasite load in the pancreas was 1.4 infected macrophages/mm. Pancreatic histological changes and their frequencies were: granulomatous pancreatitis (28.0%), lymphoplasmacytic pancreatitis (23.8%), acinar cell degeneration (6.3%), fibrosis (5.6%), hemorrhage (2.1%), eosinophilic pancreatitis (0.7%), suppurative pancreatitis (0.7%), and necrosis (0.7%).
CONCLUSIONS
The present results demonstrate that L. infantum is one of the etiological agents of chronic pancreatitis in dogs; however, the frequency of detection and parasite load are low in this organ. The lack of an association of poor body condition and cachexia with pancreatitis and the low frequency of clinical signs commonly associated with pancreatitis suggest that a significant portion of the organ is not affected by this parasite. On the other hand, the association of poor body condition and cachexia with concomitant infection of the pancreas, spleen, and/or bone marrow with this parasite suggests that these manifestations are the result of a more advanced stage of canine visceral leishmaniasis.
Topics: Animals; Dog Diseases; Dogs; Female; Histological Techniques; Immunohistochemistry; Leishmania infantum; Leishmaniasis, Visceral; Male; Pancreas; Parasite Load
PubMed: 34118967
DOI: 10.1186/s13071-021-04813-3 -
Virulence Dec 2019Enteroviral infections are frequent, often asymptomatic in humans and during gravidity. The present study is an extension of our previous investigations where we had...
Enteroviral infections are frequent, often asymptomatic in humans and during gravidity. The present study is an extension of our previous investigations where we had shown pancreatitis in challenged pups of CVB4-E2-infected dams. Present investigation describes the effect of gestational infection with this virus on the pancreas of both dams and their challenged pups. Gravid CD1 outbred mice were orally infected with CVB4-E2 virus at different gestation times. Pups were challenged orally with the same virus after 25 days of birth. Organs were collected at selected intervals postinfection (p.i.), and replicating virus and viral-RNA copies were analyzed. Additional readouts included histopathology and immunohistochemical (IHC) analysis for localization and identification of Ly6G+ cells (neutrophils), CD11b+ cells (macrophages), and viral protein in pancreatic tissue sections of the infected dams and their challenged pups. Our results show the presence of replicating virus in the pancreas of infected dams and their challenged pups, with inflammation leading to chronic necrotizing pancreatitis and atrophy of pancreatic acini of the dams and their offspring. IHC analysis of the infiltrating cells showed pronounced Ly6G+ neutrophils in dams only, whereas CD11b+ macrophages were present in tissues of both, the pups and the dams. Time of infection during gravidity as well as the p.i. intervals when mice were sacrificed influenced the pancreatic pathophysiology in both groups. We conclude that coxsackievirus infection during pregnancy is a risk factor for chronic affliction of the exocrine tissue and could affect endocrine pancreas in the mother and child.
Topics: Animals; Coxsackievirus Infections; Disease Models, Animal; Female; Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical; Mice; Pancreas; Pancreatitis; Pregnancy; RNA, Viral; Virus Replication
PubMed: 30829107
DOI: 10.1080/21505594.2019.1589364