Pathological processes of immunological decontamination of herpes simplex virus type 1 from the cornea

This review describes pathophysiological mechanisms of herpes virus infection in cornea cells. It has been previously reported that herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) infects most of the world’s population. In developing countries, HSV-1 is the leading infectious cause of corneal damage. Also, herpes simplex virus type 1 was assigned the role of one of the factors leading to rejection of the corneal transplant. These pathological phenomena are associated with restructuring of cellular systems in response to viral exposure. Recent discoveries have revealed a significant contribution of transmembrane and endosomal Toll-like receptors to the innate antiviral cell response. It is well known that endosomal Toll-like receptors-3 are expressed in keratocytes only after their phenotypic transformation to fibroblasts. This transformation usually occurs as a result of mechanical or infectious impact on the cornea. Changes in the receptor composition of cells as a response to herpes virus invasion is the main cause of type 1 interferons (interferon-alpha and interferon-beta) production and expression of proinflammatory cytokines, which leads to viral decontamination.