Abstract
Since tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and HIV gp120 glycoprotein are both neurotoxic, the possibility that systemic sources of these two agents mediate AIDS-associated blood-brain barrier (BBB) breakdown and brain damage was tested in two murine models: (1) intramuscular implantation of a TNF-α-transfected tumor in nu/nu mice and (2) daily subcutaneous injections of HIV gp120 in BALB/c mice. The BBB remained intact; brain damage was not found, and apoptotic cell numbers did not increase. These results show that normal adult brain and BBB is unaffected by exposure to TNF-α or HIV gp120 and suggest that severity of brain disease is not directly affected by systemic levels of these compounds.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 314-318 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | Journal of neurovirology |
Volume | 5 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 1999 |
Keywords
- AIDS
- Central nervous system
- Human immunodeficiency virus
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Virology
- Clinical Neurology