Influence of pan-caspase inhibitors on coxsackievirus B3-infected CD19+ B lymphocytes

Coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3), together with other enteroviruses of the picornavirus family, is associated with a wide variety of acute and chronic forms of human diseases. Using the murine model of CVB3-caused myocarditis, this pathogen can be detected not only in solid organs but also in different types of immune cells, preferentially in B lymphocytes. Therefore, these cells could represent a non-cardiac virus reservoir and may play an important role with regard to viral dissemination in the infected host. In addition, the infection of specific immune cells might modulate the severity of tissue injury and the pattern of virus-caused pathology in susceptible or resistant individuals. In the present study it could be demonstrated that CVB3 was capable to infect productively a certain percentage of murine CD19(+) B cells. In vivo studies revealed that CVB3 invaded murine CD19(+) B cells during an acute infection. Three days p. i. approximately 0.5-1.0% of these cells were productively infected. This proportion could be decreased up to 45%, if 3 days p. i. mice were intravenously treated with the pan-caspase inhibitors Z-VAD-FMK or Q-VD-OPH. These data were compared with results obtained from CVB3-infected human Raji cells.