HIV Protocols pp 367-376 | Cite as
Evaluating the Role of Viral Proteins in HIV-Mediated Neurotoxicity Using Primary Human Neuronal Cultures
Abstract
Despite the inability of HIV-1 to infect neurons, over half of the HIV-1-infected population in the USA suffers from neurocognitive dysfunction. HIV-infected immune cells in the periphery enter the central nervous system by causing a breach in the blood–brain barrier. The damage to the neurons is mediated by viral and host toxic products released by activated and infected immune and glial cells. To evaluate the toxicity of any viral isolate, viral protein, or host inflammatory protein, we describe a protocol to assess the neuronal apoptosis and synaptic compromise in primary cultures of human neurons and astrocytes.
Key words
HIV-1 Neuronal damage Neuronal apoptosis Neuro-inflammation HIV-associated dementia HAD HIV-associated neurocognitive dysfunction HAND gp120 Tat Cytokines ChemokinesNotes
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by NIH R01 MH083579 and R21 MH101003 (to V.R.P.). The authors would like to thank Arthur Ruiz for critically reading the manuscript.
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