Neuroinflammation affects the pathobiology of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Notably, beta-amyloid (Aβ) deposition induces microglial activation and the subsequent production of pro-inflammatory neurotoxic factors. In maintaining brain homeostasis, microglia plasticity also enables phenotypic transition between toxic and trophic activation states. One important control for such cell activation is through the CC-chemokine ligand 2 (CCL2) and its receptor, the CC-chemokine receptor 2 (CCR2). Both affect microglia and peripheral macrophage immune responses and for the latter, cell ingress across the blood brain barrier. However, how CCL2-CCR2 signaling contributes to AD pathogenesis is not well understood. To this end, we report that CCL2 deficiency influences behavioral abnormalities and disease progression in Aβ precursor protein/presenilin-1 double-transgenic mice. Here, increased cortical and hippocampal Aβ deposition is coincident with the formulation of Aβ oligomers. Deficits in peripheral Aβ clearance and in scavenger, neuroprogenitor and microglial cell functions are linked to deficient Aβ uptake. All can serve to accelerate memory dysfunction. Taken together, these data support a role of CCL2 in innate immune functions relevant to AD pathogenesis.

Long-acting nanoformulated antiretroviral therapy (nanoART) that target monocyte-macrophage could improve the drug’s half-life and protein binding capacities while facilitating cell and tissue depots. To this end, ART nanoparticles that target the folic acid (FA) receptor and permit cell-based drug depots were examined using pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic (PD) tests. FA receptor-targeted poloxamer 407 nanocrystals, containing ritonavir-boosted atazanavir (ATV/r), significantly affected several therapeutic factors: drug bioavailability increased as much as 5 times and PD activity improved as much as 100 times. Drug particles administered to human peripheral blood lymphocyte reconstituted NOD.Cg-PrkdcscidIl2rgtm1Wjl/SzJ mice and infected with HIV-1ADA at a tissue culture infective dose50 of 104 infectious viral particles/ml led to ATV/r drug concentrations that paralleled FA receptor beta staining in both the macrophage-rich parafollicular areas of spleen and lymph nodes. Drug levels were higher in these tissues than what could be achieved by either native drug or untargeted nanoART particles. The data also mirrored potent reductions in viral loads, tissue viral RNA and numbers of HIV-1p24+ cells in infected and treated animals. We conclude that FA-P407 coating of ART nanoparticles readily facilitate drug carriage and facilitate antiretroviral responses.

Limitations of antiretroviral therapy (ART) include poor patient adherence, drug toxicities, viral resistance, and failure to penetrate viral reservoirs. Recent developments in nanoformulated ART (nanoART) could overcome such limitations. To this end, we now report a novel effect of nanoART that facilitates drug depots within intracellular compartments at or adjacent to the sites of the viral replication cycle. Poloxamer 407-coated nanocrystals containing the protease inhibitor atazanavir (ATV) were prepared by high-pressure homogenization. These drug particles readily accumulated in human monocyte-derived macrophages (MDM). NanoATV concentrations were ϳ1,000 times higher in cells than those that could be achieved by the native drug. ATV particles in late and recycling endosome compartments were seen following pulldown by immunoaffinity chromatography with Rab-specific antibodies conjugated to magnetic beads. Confocal microscopy provided cross validation by immunofluorescent staining of the compartments. Mathematical modeling validated drug-endosomal interactions. Measures of reverse transcriptase activity and HIV-1 p24 levels in culture media and cells showed that such endosomal drug concentrations enhanced antiviral responses up to 1,000-fold. We conclude that late and recycling endosomes can serve as depots for nanoATV. The colocalization of nano-ATV at endosomal sites of viral assembly and its slow release sped antiretroviral activities. Long-acting nanoART can serve as a drug carrier in both cells and subcellular compartments and, as such, can facilitate viral clearance. IMPORTANCEThe need for long-acting ART is significant and highlighted by limitations in drug access, toxicity, adherence, and reservoir penetrance. We propose that targeting nanoformulated drugs to infected tissues, cells, and subcellular sites of viral replication may improve clinical outcomes. Endosomes are sites for human immunodeficiency virus assembly, and increasing ART concentrations in such sites enhances viral clearance. The current work uncovers a new mechanism by which nanoART can enhance viral clearance over native drug formulations.

BackgroundThe mixed lineage kinase type 3 inhibitor URMC-099 facilitates amyloid-beta (Aβ) clearance and degradation in cultured murine microglia. One putative mechanism is an effect of URMC-099 on Aβ uptake and degradation. As URMC-099 promotes endolysosomal protein trafficking and reduces Aβ microglial pro-inflammatory activities, we assessed whether these responses affect Aβ pathobiogenesis. To this end, URMC-099’s therapeutic potential, in Aβ precursor protein/presenilin-1 (APP/PS1) double-transgenic mice, was investigated in this model of Alzheimer’s disease (AD).MethodsFour-month-old APP/PS1 mice were administered intraperitoneal URMC-099 injections at 10 mg/kg daily for 3 weeks. Brain tissues were examined by biochemical, molecular and immunohistochemical tests.ResultsURMC-099 inhibited mitogen-activated protein kinase 3/4-mediated activation and attenuated β-amyloidosis. Microglial nitric oxide synthase-2 and arginase-1 were co-localized with lysosomal-associated membrane protein 1 (Lamp1) and Aβ. Importatly, URMC-099 restored synaptic integrity and hippocampal neurogenesis in APP/PS1 mice.ConclusionsURMC-099 facilitates Aβ clearance in the brain of APP/PS1 mice. The multifaceted immune modulatory and neuroprotective roles of URMC-099 make it an attractive candidate for ameliorating the course of AD. This is buttressed by removal of pathologic Aβ species and restoration of the brain’s microenvironment during disease.

Human immunodeficiency type 1 (HIV)-infected macrophages (HIV-Mφ) are a reservoir for latent HIV infection and a barrier to HIV eradication. In contrast to CD4+ T cells, HIV-Mφ are resistant to the cytopathic effects of acute HIV infection and have increased expression of cell survival factors, including X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis (XIAP), baculoviral IAP repeat containing (BIRC) 2/cIAP1, beclin-1, BCL2, BCL-xl, triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 1, mitofusin (MFN) 1, and MFN2. DIABLO/SMAC mimetics are therapeutic agents that affect cancer cell survival and induce cell death. We found that DIABLO/SMAC mimetics (LCL-161, AT-406 (also known as SM-406 or Debio 1143), and birinapant) selectively kill HIV-Mφ without increasing bystander cell death. DIABLO/SMAC mimetic treatment of HIV-Mφ-induced XIAP and BIRC2 degradation, leading to the induction of autophagy and the formation of a death-inducing signaling complex on phagophore membranes that includes both pro-apoptotic or necroptotic (FADD, receptor-interacting protein kinase (RIPK) 1, RIPK3, caspase 8, and MLKL) and autophagy (ATG5, ATG7, and SQSTM1) proteins. Genetic or pharmacologic inhibition of early stages of autophagy, but not late stages of autophagy, ablated this interaction and inhibited apoptosis. Furthermore, DIABLO/SMAC mimetic-mediated apoptosis of HIV-Mφ is dependent upon tumor necrosis factor signaling. Our findings thus demonstrate that DIABLO/SMAC mimetics selectively induce autophagy-dependent apoptosis in HIV-Mφ.

Modulation of the amyloid-β (Aβ) trafficking pathway heralds a new therapeutic frontier for Alzheimer's disease (AD). As CD74 binds to the amyloid-β precursor protein (APP) and can suppresses Aβ processing, we investigated whether recombinant adeno-associated virus (AAV) delivery of CD74 could reduce Aβ production and affect disease outcomes. This idea was tested in a mouse AD model. Cotransduction of AAV-tetracycline-controlled transactivator (tTA) and AAV-tet-response element (TRE)-CD74 resulted in CD74 expression, reduced Aβ production in mouse neurons containing the human APP with familial AD-linked mutations. Stereotaxic injection of AAV-TRE-GFP or CD74 into the hippocampi of an AD mouse, defined as a TgCRND8 × calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II derived promoter-tTA double-transgenic, reduced Aβ loads and pyramidal neuronal Aβ accumulation in the hippocampus. Immunofluorescent studies showed that APP colocalization with Lamp1 was increased in CD74-expressing neurons. Moreover, Morris water maze tasks demonstrated that mice treated with AAV-TRE-CD74 showed improved learning and memory compared to AAV-TRE-GFP control animals. These results support the idea that CD74-induced alteration of Aβ processing could improve AD-associated memory deficits as shown in mouse models of human disease.

During studies to extend the half-life of crystalline nanoformulated antiretroviral therapy (nanoART) the mixed lineage kinase-3 inhibitor URMC-099, developed as an adjunctive neuroprotective agent was shown to facilitate antiviral responses. Long-acting ritonavir-boosted atazanavir (nanoATV/r) nanoformulations co-administered with URMC-099 reduced viral load and the numbers of HIV-1 infected CD4+ T-cells in lymphoid tissues more than either drug alone in infected humanized NOD/SCID/IL2Rγc−/− mice. The drug effects were associated with sustained ART depots. Proteomics analyses demonstrated that the antiretroviral responses were linked to affected phagolysosomal storage pathways leading to sequestration of nanoATV/r in Rab-associated recycling and late endosomes; sites associated with viral maturation. URMC-099 administered with nanoATV induced a dose-dependent reduction in HIV-1p24 and reverse transcriptase activity. This drug combination offers a unique chemical marriage for cell-based viral clearance. Graphical Abstract: Figure 8.1

A plethora of prior studies has linked HIV-1-infected and immune activated brain mononuclear phagocytes (MP; blood borne macrophages and microglia) to neuronal dysfunction. These are modulated by N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) antagonists and supporting their relevance for HIV-1-associated nervous system disease. The role of NMDAR subsets in HIV-1-induced neuronal injury, nonetheless, is poorly understood. To this end, we investigated conditioned media from HIV-1gp120-treated human monocyte-derived-macrophages (MDM) for its ability to affact NMDAR-mediated excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCNMDAR) in rat hippocampal slices. Bath application of gp120-treated MDM-conditioned media (MCM) produced an increase of EPSCNMDAR. In contrast, control (untreated) MCM had limited effects on EPSCNMDAR. Testing NR2A NMDAR (NR2AR)-mediated EPSC (EPSCNR2AR) and NR2B NMDAR (NR2BR)-mediated EPSC (EPSCNR2BR) for MCM showed significant increased EPSCNR2BR when compared to EPSCNR2AR enhancement. When synaptic NR2AR-mediated EPSC was blocked by bath application of MK801 combined with low frequency stimulations, MCM retained its ability to enhance EPSCNMDAR evoked by stronger stimulations. This suggested that increase in EPSCNMDAR was mediated, in part, through extra-synaptic NR2BR. Further analyses revealed that the soluble factors with low (<3kD) to medium (3-10kD) molecular weight mediated the observed increases in EPSCNMDAR. The link between activation of NR2BRs and HIV-1gp120 MCM for neuronal injury was demonstrated by NR2BR but not NR2AR blockers. Taken together, these results indicate that macrophage secretory products induce neuronal injury through extra-synaptic NR2BRs.