Introduction: Recently, the influenza A(H3N2) virus has been one of the major serotypes of circulating seasonal influenza viruses. Studies on cytokines verified clinical differences between influenza A(H3N2) and influenza A(H1N1) viruses. However, few...
Introduction: Recently, the influenza A(H3N2) virus has been one of the major serotypes of circulating seasonal influenza viruses. Studies on cytokines verified clinical differences between influenza A(H3N2) and influenza A(H1N1) viruses. However, few studies have described contributing factors to inflammation such as oxidative stress, antioxidant enzymes, and heat-shock proteins in patients with influenza virus infection. Because researchers rarely performed studies on influenza A(H3N2), the present study was relevant.
Materials and Methods: Participants were 25 patients with influenza A(H3N2) virus infection who visited outpatient departments or emergency rooms during the epidemic, between 2011 and 2013. Patients who visited hospitals within 48 hours of symptom onset were included in this study. Their nasopharyngeal swab, blood, and urine samples were collected. The same tests were performed and samples collected from the healthy control group. Real-time polymerase chain reaction confirmed the influenza A(H2N2) virus. 8-OHdG, serum protein carbonyl, and MDA was tested as the oxidative stress indicator, along with antioxidant enzymes (catalase, SOD, peroxiredoxin, IDO), cytokines (IL-1, IL-6, TNF-alpha), and heat shock proteins (HSP90, HSP40, HSP27) using Western blot analysis.
Results: DNA damage caused by oxidative stress, protein oxidation, and indicators related to lipid peroxidation (8-OHdG, protein carbonyl, and MDA) among patients with the influenza A(H3N2) virus infection increased compared to those in the control group. Prx-1 and SOD-1 in antioxidant enzymes rose and IL-2, TNF-α in cytokines grew, but no change emerged in heat-shock proteins, compared to the control group.
Conclusion: This study demonstrated that the expression of 8-OHdG, protein carbonyl, MDA, Prx-1, SOD-1, IL-2, and TNF-α in patients with the influenza A(H3N2) virus infection increased compared to those in the control group. Heat-shock proteins did not elicit marked changes compared to the control group.