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A 'neurosteroid' found to prevent brain injury caused by HIV/AIDS
New research in The FASEB Journal suggests that a network of steroid molecules found in the brain is disrupted
during HIV infection, and treatment with the steroid DHEA-S prevents brain damage
February 1, 2013 - Bethesda, MD - A team of scientists from Canada, Thailand and Morocco have found that
DHEA-S may prevent neurocognitive impairment that affects a significant percentage of AIDS patients. In a report appearing in the
February 2013 issue of The FASEB Journal, they describe how a network of steroid molecules found in the brain, termed
"neurosteroids," is disrupted during HIV infection leading to brain damage. This suggests that treatment with one of
these steroid molecules, called DHEA-S, may offset the disruption caused by the virus to prevent or reduce brain damage.
"From these studies, we have gained a better understanding of how HIV injures the brain during AIDS, together with developing
a new treatment approach for the resulting neurological disabilities arising from HIV/AIDS," said Christopher Power, M.D., co-author of
this study from the Department of Medicine at the Medical Research Centre at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada.
To make their discovery, Power and colleagues initially found that neurosteroid enzyme levels were suppressed in the brains
of people with HIV/AIDS and that a neurosteroid molecule, DHEA-S, prevented damage to cultured brain cells (neurons) caused by HIV. Then,
using an animal model of AIDS, they showed that treatment with DHEA-S prevented neuronal damage in the brain by reducing the adverse
effects of HIV. Neurosteroids have already been proposed as treatments for epilepsy, head injury, post-traumatic stress disorder
and depression, and these findings extend the potential treatment applications for neurosteroid-related molecules.
"Most people know that AIDS wreaks total havoc on our immune systems," said Gerald Weissmann, M.D., Editor-in-Chief of The
FASEB Journal, "but far fewer people know that the disease can also lead to noticeable brain damage. This research study offers an
explanation why this occurs as well as a possible solution for preventing it. The next steps, of course, involve looking into
whether or not people will benefit from some form of DHEA-S treatment."
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The FASEB Journal is published by the Federation of the American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB). It is among the most cited biology journals worldwide according to the Institute for Scientific Information and has been recognized by the Special Libraries Association as one of the top 100 most influential biomedical journals of the past century. FASEB is composed of 26 societies with more than 100,000 members, making it the largest coalition of biomedical research associations in the United States. Its mission is to advance health and welfare by promoting progress and education in biological and biomedical sciences through service to its member societies and through collaborative advocacy.
Details: Ferdinand G. Maingat, Maria J. Polyak, Amber M. Paul, Pornpun Vivithanaporn, Farshid Noorbakhsh, Samir Ahboucha, Glen B. Baker, Keir Pearson, and Christopher Power. Neurosteroid-mediated regulation of brain innate immunity in HIV/AIDS: DHEA-S suppresses neurovirulence.
FASEB J February 2013 27:725-737; doi:10.1096/fj.12-215079; http://www.fasebj.org/content/27/2/725.abstract .
Contact:
Cody Mooneyhan
cmooneyhan@faseb.org
301-634-7104
Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biologyhttp://www.faseb.org/
Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-01/foas-af013113.php
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