New Discovery: Safeguarding the Neural "Insulating Sheath" in Fish - Mechanism of Viral Neuroinflammation Protection

Myelin acts as the insulating sheath wrapping nerve fibers; its damage impairs proper nervous‑system function.

Nervous necrosis virus (NNV) poses a severe threat to fry survival in fish aquaculture. It damages myelin at the early infection stage and triggers inflammation, oxidative stress and iron homeostasis disturbance.

Using zebrafish models, the research team led by Jianguo He and Junfeng Xie from Sun Yat-sen University identified the protective FOXO1a-IL10/IL10rb network, which coordinates myelin integrity and immune-redox homeostasis.

Pharmacological intervention with resveratrol and Fer-1 improves myelin structure and improves survival rates after infection.

This study proposes an new prevention and control strategy combining viral clearance with neural-tissue protection.

Figure 1. Schematic of NNV-induced myelin injury and the FOXO1a-IL10/IL10rb protective network. FOXO1a-and IL10/IL10rb-associated responses help maintain immune-redox homeostasis and protect myelin during NNV infection.

Original article: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12974-026-04029-1

Published in Journal of Neuroinflammation