REVIEW article
Front. Immunol.
Sec. Cytokines and Soluble Mediators in Immunity
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1650903
Leukocyte recruitment in flavivirus-induced encephalitis
Provisionally accepted
- KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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Flaviviruses are capable of causing a myriad of diseases in humans, including viral encephalitis. This condition involves complex interactions between the virus, resident cells of the central nervous system and leukocytes recruited to the brain. We reviewed the mechanisms underlying leukocyte recruitment during flavivirus-induced encephalitis with a focus on the role of various chemoattractants and adhesion molecules. We discuss how these molecules orchestrate the migration of peripheral leukocytes into the brain parenchyma and how neurotropic flaviviruses induce this process. Moreover, we discuss evidence of leukocytes both controlling viral propagation and contributing to neuropathology, which poses a challenge for therapy development. This review summarizes our current understanding of the mechanisms behind leukocyte recruitment during encephalitis, addresses the gaps that remain in the field, and presents opportunities for therapeutic targeting unveiled by recent research on flaviviral encephalitis.
Keywords: Flavivirus, leukocyte, Encephalitis, chemoattractant, chemokine, adhesion molecule
Received: 20 Jun 2025; Accepted: 04 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Slowikowski, Willems and Marques. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Pedro Elias Marques, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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