Abstract

Viral infections are linked to the progression of inflammatory reactions and oxidative stress that play pivotal roles in systemic diseases. To confirm this phenomenon, in the present study, TNF-alpha level and oxidative stress markers were examined in the liver, kidney, and pancreas of HTLV1-infected male BALB/c mice. To this end, twenty BALB/c mice were divided into HTLV1-infected mice that were inoculated with 1-million HTLV1-infected cells (MT-2), and the control groups. Two months after inoculation, the peripheral blood, mesenteric lymph nodes, liver, kidney, and pancreas were collected after deep anesthetization of mice (ketamine, 30 mg/kg). The extracted DNA of mesenteric lymph nodes was obtained to quantify proviral load (PVL) using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The levels of lipid peroxidation, total thiol (SH), nitric oxide (NO), TNF-alpha, catalase (CAT), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities were examined in the liver, kidney, and pancreases. Furthermore, histopathological changes in the liver and kidney were evaluated. In liver tissue, the levels of MDA, TNF-alpha, and blood cell infiltration were significantly increased, and the levels of CAT and SOD were significantly decreased. In the kidney, a reduction in SOD, CAT, and total SH and an increase in MDA and NO were observed. In the pancreas, CAT activity, total SH, and SOD were decreased, and the levels of MDA and NO were enhanced. In terms of TNF-alpha production, it has been shown that the level of this inflammatory cytokine was increased in the liver, kidney, and pancreas. The HTLV1 may have a role in inducing inflammatory reactions and oxidative stress pathways in the tissues.