Browsing by Author "Opazo, María Cecilia"

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    Asymptomatic Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 Infection Causes an Earlier Onset and More Severe Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis
    (2021) Duarte Peñaloza, Luisa Fernanda; Altamirano Lagos, María J.; Tabares Guevara, Jorge H.; Opazo, María Cecilia; Díaz, Máximo; Navarrete, Romina; Muza, Catalina; Vallejos Galvez, Omar Patricio; Riedel Soria, Claudia; Bueno Ramírez, Susan; Kalergis Parra, Alexis Mikes; González Muñoz, Pablo Alberto
    Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an increasingly prevalent progressive autoimmune and debilitating chronic disease that involves the detrimental recognition of central nervous system (CNS) antigens by the immune system. Although significant progress has been made in the last decades on the biology of MS and the identification of novel therapies to treat its symptoms, the etiology of this disease remains unknown. However, recent studies have suggested that viral infections may contribute to disease onset. Interestingly, a potential association between herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) infection and MS has been reported, yet a direct relationship among both has not been conclusively demonstrated. Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) recapitulates several aspects of MS in humans and is widely used to study this disease. Here, we evaluated the effect of asymptomatic brain infection by HSV-1 on the onset and severity of EAE in C57BL/6 mice. We also evaluated the effect of infection with an HSV-1-mutant that is attenuated in neurovirulence and does not cause encephalitis. Importantly, we observed more severe EAE in mice previously infected either, with the wild-type (WT) or the mutant HSV-1, as compared to uninfected control mice. Also, earlier EAE onset was seen after WT virus inoculation. These findings support the notion that a previous exposure to HSV-1 can accelerate and enhance EAE, which suggests a potential contribution of asymptomatic HSV-1 to the onset and severity of MS.
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    The impact of the micronutrient iodine in health and diseases
    (Bellwether Publishing, Ltd., 2020) Opazo, María Cecilia; Riedel, Claudia A.; Coronado, Arrazola Irenice; Vallejos Gálvez, Omar Patricio; Kalergis Parra, Alexis Mikes; Bueno Ramírez, Susan Marcela; Moreno Reyes, Rodrigo; Fardella Bello, Carlos Enrique; Mosso Gómez, Lorena Montserrat
    © 2020 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.Adequate iodine nutrition is crucial for all mammals by playing his starring role as a component of thyroid hormones, which are key regulators of cellular processes for life such as differentiation, growth, function, and metabolism. Deficiency or excess of iodine in the diet are worldwide highly frequent conditions that are responsible of health problems like hypothyroidism, hypothyroxinemia, goiter, thyroiditis, hyperthyroidism, and autoimmune thyroid diseases among others. The incorporation of iodine in salt or other nutrients resolved the consequences of severe iodine deficiency like goiter, cretinism. However, this strategy in several countries led to other ailments like Hashimoto autoimmune thyroiditis, hyperthyroidism, and hypothyroidism. The goal of this review is to analyze and discuss the different aspects of iodine nutrition for human health comprising its biological role through thyroid hormones, pathogen control, and the regulation of the intestinal microbiota.