doi: 10.1016/j.neulet.2021.135717.
- PMID: 33587986
- DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2021.135717
Abstract
In the era of combined antiretroviral therapy (cART), human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) is considered a chronic disease with an inflammatory component that specifically targets the brain and causes a high prevalence of HIV-1-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND). The endocannabinoid (eCB) system has attracted interest as a target for treatment of neurodegenerative disorders, due to the potential anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective properties of cannabinoids, including its potential therapeutic use in HIV-1 neuropathogenesis. In this review, we summarize what is currently known about the structural and functional changes of the eCB system under conditions of HAND. This will be followed by summarizing the current clinical and preclinical findings on the effects of cannabis use and cannabinoids in the context of HIV-1 infection, with specifically focusing on viral load, cognition, inflammation, and neuroprotection. Lastly, we present some potential future directions to better understand the involvement of the eCB system and the role that cannabis use and cannabinoids play in neuroHIV.
Keywords: C-C Motif chemokine Receptor 5 (CCR5), C-X-C Motif Chemokine Receptor 4 (CXCR4,) G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) GPR18, HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders, MJN110, PF3845, antiretroviral therapy, cannabinoid type 1 receptor, cannabinoid type 2 receptor, cannabis, endogenous cannabinoid system, fatty acid amide hydrolase, inflammation, microglia, monoacylglycerol lipase, neuroHIV, neurodegeneration, synaptodendritic degeneration, Δ(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol
Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Conflict of interest statement
Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
