Selective Loss of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Exacerbates Brain Injury by Enhancing Neuroinflammation in Experimental Streptococcus pneumoniae Meningitis.

ABSTRACT: Streptococcus pneumoniae meningitis is a life-threatening bacterial infection of the central nervous system (CNS), and its unfavorable prognosis usually results from an intense inflammatory response. Recent studies have shown that brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) mediates anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects in CNS diseases; however, the distinct contribution of BDNF to pneumococcal meningitis (PM) remains unknown. In this study, we sought to investigate the effects of endogenous BDNF on the inflammatory response and brain damage in experimental PM. We used Camk2a-CreERT2 mice to delete Bdnf from the cerebral cortex and hippocampus, and meningitis was induced by intracisternal infection with S. pneumoniae. Clinical parameters were assessed during acute

SUBMITTER: Zhao S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7333737 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature