The spectrum of neuropathological changes associated with congenital Zika virus infection.

A major concern associated with ZIKV infection is the increased incidence of microcephaly with frequent calcifications in infants born from infected mothers. To date, postmortem analysis of the central nervous system (CNS) in congenital infection is limited to individual reports or small series. We report a comprehensive neuropathological study in ten newborn babies infected with ZIKV during pregnancy, including the spinal cords and dorsal root ganglia (DRG), and also muscle, pituitaries, eye, systemic organs, and placentas. Using in situ hybridization (ISH) and electron microscopy, we investigated the role of direct viral infection in the pathogenesis of the lesions. Nine women had Zika symptoms between the 4th and 18th and one in the 28th gestational week. Two babies were born at 32, one at 34 and 36 weeks each and six at term. The cephalic perimeter was reduced in four, and normal or enlarged in six patients, although the brain weights were lower than expected. All had arthrogryposis, except the patient infected at 28 weeks gestation. We defined three patterns of CNS lesions, with different patterns of destructive, calcification, hypoplasia, and migration disturbances. Ventriculomegaly was severe in the first pattern due to midbrain damage with aqueduct stenosis/distortion. The second pattern had small brains and mild/moderate (ex-vacuo) ventriculomegaly. The third pattern, a well-formed brain with mild calcification, coincided with late infection. The absence of descending fibres resulted in hypoplastic basis pontis, pyramids, and cortico-spinal tracts. Spinal motor cell loss explained the intrauterine akinesia, arthrogryposis, and neurogenic muscle atrophy. DRG, dorsal nerve roots, and columns were normal. Lympho-histiocytic inflammation was mild. ISH showed meningeal, germinal matrix, and neocortical infection, consistent with neural progenitors death leading to proliferation and migration disorders. A secondary ischemic process may explain the destructive lesions. In conclusion, we characterized the destructive and malformative consequences of ZIKV in the nervous system, as reflected in the topography and severity of lesions, anatomic localization of the virus, and timing of infection during gestation. Our findings indicate a developmental vulnerability of the immature CNS, and shed light on possible mechanisms of brain injury of this newly recognized public health threat.

2,4-Dinitrophenol induces neural differentiation of murine embryonic stem cells.

2,4-Dinitrophenol (DNP) is a neuroprotective compound previously shown to promote neuronal differentiation in a neuroblastoma cell line and neurite outgrowth in primary neurons. Here, we tested the hypothesis that DNP could induce neurogenesis in embryonic stem cells (ESCs). Murine ESCs, grown as embryoid bodies (EBs), were exposed to 20 µM DNP (or vehicle) for 4 days. Significant increases in the proportion of nestin- and ß-tubulin III-positive cells were detected after EB exposure to DNP, accompanied by enhanced glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase (p-ERK) and ATP-linked oxygen consumption, thought to mediate DNP-induced neural differentiation. DNP further protected ESCs from cell death, as indicated by reduced caspase-3 positive cells, and increased proliferation. Cell migration from EBs was significantly higher in DNP-treated EBs, and migrating cells were positive for nestin, ß-tubulin III and MAP2, similar to that observed with retinoic acid (RA)-treated EBs. Compared to RA, however, DNP exerted a marked neuritogenic effect on differentiating ESCs, increasing the average length and number of neurites per cell. Results establish that DNP induces neural differentiation of ESCs, accompanied by cell proliferation, migration and neuritogenesis, suggesting that DNP may be a novel tool to induce neurogenesis in embryonic stem cells.

2,4-Dinitrophenol blocks neurodegeneration and preserves sciatic nerve function after trauma.

Preventing the harm caused by nerve degeneration is a major challenge in neurodegenerative diseases and in various forms of trauma to the nervous system. The aim of the current work was to investigate the effects of systemic administration of 2,4-dinitrophenol (DNP), a compound with newly recognized neuroprotective properties, on sciatic-nerve degeneration following a crush injury. Sciatic-nerve injury was induced by unilateral application of an aneurysm clip. Four groups of mice were used: uninjured, injured treated with vehicle (PBS), injured treated with two intraperitoneal doses of DNP (0.06 mg DNP/kg every 24 h), and injured treated with four doses of DNP (every 12 h). Animals were sacrificed 48 h post injury and both injured and uninjured (contralateral) sciatic nerves were processed for light and electron microscopy. Morphometric, ultrastructural, and immunohistochemical analysis of injured nerves established that DNP prevented axonal degeneration, blocked cytoskeletal disintegration, and preserved the immunoreactivity of amyloid precursor protein (APP) and Neuregulin 1 (Nrg1), proteins implicated in neuronal survival and myelination. Functional tests revealed preservation of limb function following injury in DNP-treated animals. Results indicate that DNP prevents nerve degeneration and suggest that it may be a useful small-molecule adjuvant in the development of novel therapeutic approaches in nerve injury.