AIDSWEEKLY Plus; Monday, June 2, 2003
Staff Medical Writers

According to recent research from Italy, "the human CHP100 neuroblastoma cell line has been shown to provide an useful in vitro model to elucidate the mechanisms underlying HIV-1 gp120 neurotoxicity."

Using this model, M.T. Corasaniti and coauthors at the University of Magna Graecia found "evidence demonstrating that exposure to a cytotoxic concentration of the viral coat protein upregulates expression of the inducible isoform of cyclooxygenase (COX-2) in neuroblastoma cells".

This effect "seems to be due to the previously observed increase in secreted IL-1beta," they noted. Moreover, study results revealed that "acetyl-Tyr-Val-Ala-Asp-chloromethylketone (Ac-YVAD-CMK) and t-butoxycarbonyl-L-aspartic acid benzyl ester-chloromethylketone (Boc-Asp-(OBzl)-CMK), two inhibitors of interleukin-1 converting enzyme (ICE; also referred to as caspase-1), abolish COX-2 expression enhanced by gp120 and consequent cell death."

"In addition, NS-398, a selective inhibitor of COX-2 activity, affords neuroprotection strengthening the role of COX-2 in the mechanisms of death," according to the report.

These findings "support the notion that IL-1beta is the signal through which gp120 elevates COX-2 expression," and that "the latter is strongly implicated in the mechanisms underlying cytotoxicity," the researchers concluded.

Corasaniti and colleagues published their study in Toxicology Letters (Caspase-1 inhibitors abolish deleterious enhancement of COX-2 expression induced by HIV-1 gp120 in human neuroblastoma cells. Toxicol Lett 2003 Apr 4;139(2-3):213-9.

For additional information, contact M.T. Corasaniti, University of Magna Graecia, Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmacobiological Science, Complesso Nini Barbieri, I-88021 Catanzaro, Italy.

Publisher contact information for the journal Toxicology Letters is: Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd., Customer Relations Manager, Bay 15, Shannon Industrial Estate, Co. Clare, Ireland.

The information in this article comes under the major subject areas of AIDS and HIV, Enzymology, Neurotoxin and Proteomics.

This article was prepared by AIDS Weekly editors from staff and other reports.

Reference

Corasaniti MT, Bellizzi C, Russo R, et al., "Caspase-1 inhibitors abolish deleterious enhancement of COX-2 expression induced by HIV-1 gp120 in human neuroblastoma cells", Toxicol Lett 2003 Apr 4;139(2-3):213-9.

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