J. Raber et al., INFLAMMATORY CYTOKINES - PUTATIVE REGULATORS OF NEURONAL AND NEUROENDOCRINE FUNCTION, Brain research reviews, 26(2-3), 1998, pp. 320-326
The cytokines are a large and diverse family of polypeptide regulators
with multiple regulatory functions that have been comprehensively eva
luated in the immune system under strictly controlled experimental con
ditions. These peptide signals exhibit often unpredictable interaction
s when evaluated for their pathophysiological involvement in specific
inflammatory conditions in vivo. In our joint efforts to understand th
e basis for early pathophysiological changes in the brains of HIV-infe
cted subjects, we have developed animal models for lentivirus infectio
ns, and assessed the actions of various cytokines acutely on transmitt
er release properties in vitro, and in an in vivo transgenic mouse mod
el. IL1 beta, IL2, IL6, and IFN alpha will each enhance the release of
AVP in slices of rat hypothalamus and amygdala. TGF beta selectively
blocks the ability of ACh to release AVP from hypothalamus or amygdala
, but has no effects on the release stimulated by other cytokines. IFN
alpha, but not TGF beta will also activate CRH release; as with AVP,
TGF selectively blocks the ACh-stimulated CRH release in both amygdala
and hypothalamus. The IFN alpha-stimulated release of AVP and CRH app
ears to be mediated by cyclic GMP production, and this release by IFN
alpha and IL-2 may be mediated in part by activation of constitutive n
itric oxide synthase. These combined in vitro actions would suggest th
at cns cytokine actions should upregulate the hypothalamic pituitary a
drenal axis. In a transgenic mouse model with increased astrocytic exp
ression and release of the cytokine IL6, the HPA axis is upregulated,
but the effect seems attributable to adrenocortical hypersensitization
to ACTH. Lastly, in studies of cytokine mediated effects on astrocyti
c uptake of the excitatory transmitter glutamate, the reactive oxygen
species hydrogen peroxide and peroxynitrite, but not nitric oxide, inh
ibited glutamate uptake in a concentration-dependent manner. Although
superoxide and nitric oxide had no effect by themselves on the rate of
glutamate uptake by astrocytes, the same cultures did respond to nitr
ic oxide with a sustained increase in cytoplasmic free calcium. Thus w
hile reactive oxygen species do provide a potential path to neurotoxic
ity but one apparently not involving nitric oxide. These various data
provide important opportunities for early therapeutic interventions in
neuro-inflammatory states such as Neuro-AIDS. (C) 1998 Elsevier Scien
ce B.V. All rights reserved.