Coxsackievirus B3 Infection Early in Pregnancy Induces Congenital Heart Defects Through Suppression of Fetal Cardiomyocyte Proliferation.

ABSTRACT: Background Coxsackievirus B (CVB) is the most common cause of viral myocarditis. It targets cardiomyocytes through coxsackie and adenovirus receptor, which is highly expressed in the fetal heart. We hypothesized CVB3 can precipitate congenital heart defects when fetal infection occurs during critical window of gestation. Methods and Results We infected C57Bl/6 pregnant mice with CVB3 during time points in early gestation (embryonic day [E] 5, E7, E9, and E11). We used different viral titers to examine possible dose-response relationship and assessed viral loads in various fetal organs. Provided viral exposure occurred between E7 and E9, we observed characteristic features of ventricular septal defect (33.6%), abnormal myocardial architecture resembling noncompaction (23.5%), and double-out

SUBMITTER: Sharma V 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7955305 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature