title: Nitric oxide synthase expression and apoptotic cell death in brains of AIDS and AIDS dementia patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the occurrence and cellular localization of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), NOS activity and its association with cell death in brains of AIDS and AIDS dementia complex (ADC) patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Post-mortem cerebral cortex tissue of eight AIDS patients, eight ADC patients and eight control subjects was processed for iNOS immunocytochemistry, NADPH-diaphorase activity staining as an index of NOS activity, and in situ end-labelling to detect cell death.
  
  
  RESULTS
  iNOS-positive cells were present in the white matter of 14 out of 16 AIDS and ADC patients, whereas two out of eight control subjects showed iNOS-positive cells. iNOS immunoreactivity was exclusively localized in activated macrophages and microglial cells that both showed NADPH-diaphorase activity. In addition, NADPH-diaphorase activity, not related to iNOS immunoreactivity, was observed in astrocytes in both white and grey matter of AIDS and ADC patients. All AIDS and ADC patients, and only one control subject showed characteristic features of apoptotic cell death.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Different forms of NOS are present in microglial cells and astrocytes of AIDS and ADC patients but are largely absent in control subjects. Although more NOS-expressing cells occur in ADC than in AIDS patients, apoptotic cell death was found in both patient groups to the same extent. We postulate that NO production in brains of AIDS patients results in cumulative cortical cell loss, which becomes neurologically evident at later stages of disease and is expressed as ADC.
authors: Department of Pharmacology, Medical Faculty, Research Institute Neurosciences Free University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors: V A
authors: VA
authors: Vincent
authors: C J
authors: CJ
authors: De Groot
authors: P J
authors: PJ
authors: Lucassen
authors: P
authors: P
authors: Portegies
authors: D
authors: D
authors: Troost
authors: F J
authors: FJ
authors: Tilders
authors: A M
authors: AM
authors: Van Dam
mesh_terms: D015526:AIDS Dementia Complex / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D017209:Apoptosis; D001344:Autopsy; D016923:Cell Death; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000473:pathology* / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D020287:In Situ Nick-End Labeling; D008875:Middle Aged; D009252:NADPH Dehydrogenase; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; D009252:NADPH Dehydrogenase