title: Free circulating ICAM-1 in serum and cerebrospinal fluid of HIV-1 infected patients correlate with TNF-alpha and blood-brain barrier damage.
abstract: The mechanism for the initiation of blood-brain barrier damage and intrathecal inflammation in patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is poorly understood. We have recently reported that tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) mediates active neural inflammation and blood-brain barrier damage in HIV-1 infection. Stimulation of endothelial cells by TNF-alpha induces the expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), which is an important early marker of immune activation and response. We report herein for the first time the detection of high levels of free circulating ICAM-1 in serum and cerebrospinal fluid of patients with HIV-1 infection. Free circulating ICAM-1 in these patients correlated with TNF-alpha concentrations and with the degree of blood-brain barrier damage and were detected predominantly in patients with neurologic involvement. These findings have important implications for the understanding and investigation of the intrathecal inflammatory response in HIV-1 infection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurochemistry Institute of Neurology The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery Queen Square London WC1N 3BG UK.
authors.forename: M K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Sharief
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ciardi
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Noori
authors.forename: E J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Salotti
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sorice
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rossi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cirelli