Abstract
Abstract
Background
Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) is a mosquito-borne flavivirus that has no specific treatment except for supportive medical care. JEV is a neurotropic virus that affects the nervous system and triggers inflammation in the brain.
Methods
Melatonin is used as a sleep-inducing agent in neurophysiology and may serve as a protective agent against neurological and neurodegenerative diseases. Herein, we investigated the effects of melatonin and the critical roles of the serine/threonine protein phosphatase calcineurin during JEV infection in SK-N-SH neuroblastoma cells.
Results
Melatonin treatment decreased JEV replication and JEV-mediated neurotoxicity. Calcineurin activity was increased by JEV infection and inhibited by melatonin treatment. Through calcineurin regulation, melatonin decreased the JEV-mediated neuroinflammatory response and attenuated JEV-induced autophagy.
Conclusions
Calcineurin inactivation has a protective effect in JEV-infected neuronal cells, and melatonin is a novel resource for the development of anti-JEV agents.
Funder
National Research Foundation of Korea
Korea Institute of Planning and Evaluation for Technology in Food, Agriculture and Forestry
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Subject
Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience,General Neuroscience