Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2020 Feb 18;21(4):1376.
doi: 10.3390/ijms21041376.

Potential Therapeutic Approaches Against Brain Diseases Associated with Cytomegalovirus Infections

Affiliations
Review

Potential Therapeutic Approaches Against Brain Diseases Associated with Cytomegalovirus Infections

Shao-Cheng Wang et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is one of the major human health threats worldwide, especially for immunologically comprised patients. CMV may cause opportunistic infections, congenital infections, and brain diseases (e.g., mental retardation and glioblastoma). The etiology of brain diseases associated with human CMV (HCMV) infections is usually complex and it is particularly difficult to treat because HCMV has a life-long infection in its hosts, high mutation rate, and latent infections. Moreover, it is almost impossible to eradicate latent viruses in humans. Although there has been progress in drug discovery recently, current drugs used for treating active CMV infections are still limited in efficacy due to side effects, toxicity, and viral resistance. Fortunately, letermovir which _targets the HCMV terminase complex rather than DNA polymerase with fewer adverse reactions has been approved to treat CMV infections in humans. The researchers are focusing on developing approaches against both productive and latent infections of CMV. The gene or RNA _targeting approaches including the external guide sequences (EGSs)-RNase, the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein 9 (Cas9) system and transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs) are being investigated to remove acute and/or latent CMV infections. For the treatment of glioblastoma, vaccine therapy through _targeting specific CMV antigens has improved patients' survival outcomes significantly and immunotherapy has also emerged as an alternative modality. The advanced research for developing anti-CMV agents and approaches is promising to obtain significant outcomes and expecting to have a great impact on the therapy of brain diseases associated with CMV infections.

Keywords: brain disease; cytomegalovirus; gene/RNA _targeting approach; glioblastoma; immunotherapy; mental retardation; vaccine therapy.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interests.

Similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Nancy C. Brain Trauma Foundation: Guidelines for the management of severe traumatic brain injury. J. Neurotrauma. 2007;24:S45–S54. doi: 10.1089/neu.2007.9999. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Johnson G. Traumatic Brain Injury Survival Guide. [(accessed on 17 February 2020)];2004 Available online: www.tbiguide.com.
    1. Mental Disorders. Medline Plus. U.S. National Library of Medicine. [(accessed on 10 June 2016)]; Available online: https://medlineplus.gov/mentaldisorders.html.
    1. Derek B. What is Mental Disorder? An Essay in Philosophy, Science, and Values. Oxford University Press (OUP); Oxford, UK: 2008. [(accessed on 15 April 2008)]. Available online: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/what-is-mental-disorder-97801985....
    1. What Is Neurodegenerative Disease? JPND Research. [(accessed on 7 February 2015)]; Available online: http://www.neurodegenerationresearch.eu/about/what/
  NODES
twitter 2