Chapter category: Ischemia-Reperfusion
Therapeutic Utilities of SOD Mimetics: Oxidative Stress and Novel Antioxidants in the Treatment of AIDS-Related Brain Disorders
Chapter authors:
Vincenzo Mollace, Carolina Muscoli, Robert Nistico
and Domenicatonio Rotiroti
Neurodegenerative disorders are frequently found in patients suffering from Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). Indeed, the occurrence of neuronal cell death, astrogliosis and mielodistrophy has commonly been described in patients undergoing HIV infection (60-80% at postmortem), unless HIV is unable to produce direct infection of brain tissue, though the mechanism of brain damage remains still to be elucidated.1 Apoptosis is the main cause of CD4+ T-lymphocyte depletion.2 In addition, apoptosis of neurons and nonneuronal cells has been demonstrated in the brain of AIDS patients with dementia.3 Previous studies suggest that the apoptotic stimuli are likely to be soluble factors. Several candidates for the soluble factors that lead to apoptotic cell death in HIV-1 infection have been proposed, including viral proteins (i.e., gp120),4-6 inappropriate secretion of inflammatory cytokines by activated macrophages (i.e., tumor necrosis factor alpha, TNF-a)7,8 and toxins produced by opportunistic micro-organisms.9 Overall data suggest that the mechanism(s) that lead to neuronal as well as nonneuronal apoptosis in the brain of AIDS patients in vivo, may involve the combined effect of more than one pro-apoptotic factor.
