Cocaine Self-Administration Influences Central Nervous System Immune Responses in Male HIV-1 Transgenic Rats

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Immunology
• Toxicology

Background:

• Cocaine use exacerbates human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) neurotoxicity and HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND).
• Central nervous system (CNS) immunity, including neuroimmune signaling and antiviral activity, are implicated in HIV-1 and cocaine neurotoxicity, but direct evidence is limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the hypothesis that cocaine self-administration promotes CNS inflammation in HIV-1 transgenic rats.
• To determine if cocaine affects specific brain regions, namely the frontal cortex (fCTX) and caudal striatum (cSTR).

Main Methods:

• Cocaine self-administration paradigm in HIV-1 transgenic rats.
• Measurement of cytokine, chemokine, and growth factor protein levels in the frontal cortex (fCTX) and caudal striatum (cSTR).

Main Results:

• Cocaine self-administration significantly increased inflammation in the frontal cortex (fCTX) of HIV-1 transgenic rats.
• No significant increase in inflammation was observed in the caudal striatum (cSTR).

Conclusions:

• Cocaine synergizes with HIV-1 proteins to induce region-selective neuroinflammation, particularly in the fCTX.
• This cocaine-HIV-1 interaction in the fCTX may contribute to heightened immune responses and reduced antiviral activity, exacerbating HAND.