In the present disclosure, doxycycline-inducible astrocyte-specific HIV Tat transgenic mice (iTat), a surrogate HAND model, were treated with PNU-125096, a positive allosteric modulator of α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7 nAChR) and effects on Tat-induced behavioral impairments and neuropathologies were observed. This disclosure shows that PNU-125096 treatment significantly improved locomotor, learning and memory deficits of iTat mice while inhibited glial activation and increased PSD-95 expression in the cortex and hippocampus of iTat mice. α7 nAChR knockout eliminated the protective effects of PNU-125096 on iTat mice. In addition, inhibition of p38 phosphorylation by SB239063, a p38 MAPK-specific inhibitor, exacerbated Tat neurotoxicity in iTat mice. These findings demonstrated for the first time that α7 nAChR activation led to protection against HAND and suggest that α7 nAChR and PNU-125096 hold significant promise for development of therapeutics for HAND.
在本公开披露中,使用多西环素诱导的星形胶质细胞特异性HIV Tat转
基因小鼠(iTat)作为HAND模型,用
PNU-125096,α7
烟碱乙酰胆碱受体(α7 nAChR)的正向变构调节剂,治疗了这些小鼠,并观察了对Tat诱导的行为障碍和神经病理的影响。本公开披露表明,
PNU-125096治疗显著改善了iTat小鼠的运动、学习和记忆障碍,同时抑制了星形胶质细胞的激活,并增加了iTat小鼠皮层和海马体中P
SD-95的表达。α7 nAChR
基因敲除消除了
PNU-125096对iTat小鼠的保护作用。此外,p38
MAPK特异性
抑制剂SB239063抑制p38
磷酸化,加重了iTat小鼠的Tat神经毒性。这些发现首次证明了α7 nAChR的激活导致对HAND的保护,并表明α7 nAChR和
PNU-125096在开发HAND治疗药物方面具有重要的前景。