Document 2927
 DOCN  M94A2927
 TI    HIV-1-gp120 causes induction of neuronal injury in vitro: prevention by
       memantine.
 DT    9412
 AU    Muller WE; Bormann J; Schroder HC; Ushijima H; Institut fur
       Physiologische Chemie, Mainz, Germany.
 SO    Int Conf AIDS. 1994 Aug 7-12;10(1):193 (abstract no. PB0202). Unique
       Identifier : AIDSLINE ICA10/94369648
 AB    OBJECTIVES: Besides lymphocytes also other cells like astrocytes are
       infected by HIV-1 in vitro. Primary neurons are very rarely, if at all
       infected by HIV-1. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Rat cortical cell cultures
       were prepared from the brains of newborn Wistar rats. After 48 h in
       culture the cells were used for the experiments. Enriched GFAP-positive
       human astrocytic cell cultures were prepared. RESULTS: After incubation
       of rat cortical cell cultures with HIV-1 coat protein gp120 for 12 h,
       cells showed apoptosis. Simultaneously, the percentage of viable cells
       decreased from 94% to 33%. Memantine (1-amino-3,5-dimethyladamantane) as
       well as the NMDA antagonist MK-801 prevented the effects of gp120 on
       cortical cell cultures at micromolar concentrations. In human cultured
       astrocytes, gp120 was ineffective with respect to DNA fragmentation and
       cell toxicity. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: The cytoprotective effect of
       memantine in cortical cell cultures may qualify the drug for the
       treatment of AIDS-related dementia. A clinical trial is in progress.
 DE    Animal  Animals, Newborn  Apoptosis/*DRUG EFFECTS  Astrocytes/*DRUG
       EFFECTS  Cell Survival/DRUG EFFECTS  Cells, Cultured  Cerebral
       Cortex/*CYTOLOGY  Dizocilpine Maleate/PHARMACOLOGY  HIV Envelope Protein
       gp120/*PHARMACOLOGY  *HIV-1  Memantine/*PHARMACOLOGY  Neurons/*DRUG
       EFFECTS  Rats  Rats, Wistar  MEETING ABSTRACT

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