Chronic systemic administration of tumor necrosis factor alpha and HIV gp120: effects on adult rodent brain and blood-brain barrier.
Since tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) and HIV gpl20 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-alpha-transfected tumor in nu/nu mice and (2) daily subcutaneous injections of HIV gpl20 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-alpha or HIV gpl20 and suggest that severity of brain disease is not directly affected by systemic levels of these compounds.
Department of Pathology, University of Miami School of Medicine, Florida, USA.
C K
CK
Petito
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Adkins
K
K
Tracey
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Roberts
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Torres-Munoz
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McCarthy
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Czeisler
D000818:Animals; D001812:Blood-Brain Barrier / Q000187:drug effects*; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects*; D016466:CHO Cells; D006224:Cricetinae; D015699:HIV Envelope Protein gp120 / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008819:Mice, Nude; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*
D015699:HIV Envelope Protein gp120; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha