Herpes simplex virus infection in human arterial cells. Implications in arteriosclerosis.

Herpesviruses have been implicated as etiologic factors in the pathogenesis of human arteriosclerosis. We have examined the pathobiological effects of human herpes simplex virus (HSV-1) infection in influencing lipid accumulation and metabolism in human and bovine arterial smooth muscle cells (SMC). Significantly greater amounts of saturated cholesteryl esters (CE) and triacylglycerols (TG) accumulate in HSV-1-infected human and bovine arterial SMC than uninfected cells. This CE accumulation results, in part, from decreased CE hydrolysis. Furthermore, arachidonate-stimulated, HSV-1-infected arterial SMC have a reduced capacity to produce prostacyclin (an agonist of intracellular CE hydrolytic activity) than uninfected, stimulated SMC. It appears that HSV-1 may induce lipid accumulation in arterial SMC similar, in part, to the lipid accumulation observed in vivo during human atherogenesis. Thus, herpesviruses may contribute to lipid accumulation, which is a characteristic feature of atherosclerosis.