Mini-review: The therapeutic role of cannabinoids in neuroHIV

• Published in: Neuroscience letters Vol. 750; p. 135717
• Main Authors: Yadav-Samudrala, Barkha J., Fitting, Sylvia
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Ireland Elsevier B.V 17.04.2021
• Subjects: AIDS Dementia Complex - drug therapy; AIDS Dementia Complex - metabolism; Animals; Antiretroviral therapy; C-C motif chemokine receptor 5 (CCR5); C-X-C motif chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4); Cannabinoid type 1 receptor; Cannabinoid type 2 receptor; Cannabinoids - metabolism; Cannabinoids - therapeutic use; Cannabis; Endogenous cannabinoid system; Fatty acid amide hydrolase; G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) GPR18; HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders; Humans; Inflammation; Microglia; MJN110; Monoacylglycerol lipase; Neurodegeneration; neuroHIV; PF3845; Receptor, Cannabinoid, CB2 - metabolism; Synaptodendritic degeneration; Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol; Cannabinoid type 1 receptor; MJN110; C-C motif chemokine receptor 5 (CCR5); Fatty acid amide hydrolase; Endogenous cannabinoid system; Inflammation; PF3845; C-X-C motif chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4); neuroHIV; Antiretroviral therapy; Microglia; Cannabis; G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) GPR18; Monoacylglycerol lipase; Neurodegeneration; Synaptodendritic degeneration; Cannabinoid type 2 receptor; HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders; Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol; Δ-tetrahydrocannabinol
• ISSN: 0304-3940; 1872-7972
• DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2021.135717

[Display omitted] •HIV neuropathogenesis alters the endocannabinoid system.•Effects of cannabis on cognition in HIV-1 depend on various factors, i.e. disease progression, amount of cannabis use, cognitive domain assessed.•Cannabinoid type 2 receptors and endocannabinoid catabolic enzymes are promising therapeutic targets in people living with HIV-1. 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.