Background: Combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) has transformed HIV infection from a terminal disease to a manageable chronic health condition, extending patients' life expectancy to that of the general population. However, the incidence of HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HANDs) has persisted despite virological suppression. Patients with HIV display persistent signs of immune activation and inflammation despite cART. The arachidonic acid (AA) cascade is an important immune response system responsible for both pro- and anti-inflammatory processes.
Methods: Lipidomics, mRNA and Western blotting analysis provide valuable insights into the molecular mechanisms surrounding arachidonic acid metabolism and the resulting inflammation caused by perturbations thereof.
Results: Here, we report the presence of inflammatory eicosanoids in the brains of a transgenic mouse model of NeuroHIV that expresses soluble HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein in glial cells (HIVgp120tg mice). Additionally, we report that the effect of LTC4S knockout in HIVgp120tg mice resulted in the sexually dimorphic transcription of COX- and 5-LOX-related genes. Furthermore, the absence of LTC4S suppressed ERK1/2 and p38 MAPK signaling activity in female mice only. The mass spectrometry-based lipidomic profiling of these mice reveals beneficial alterations to lipids in the brain.
Conclusion: Targeting the AA cascade may hold potential in the treatment of neuroinflammation observed in NeuroHIV and HANDs.
Keywords: HANDs; HIV; LTC4S; arachidonic acid; cell signaling; eicosanoids; lipidomics; mRNA; neuroinflammation; sexual dimorphism.