Effects of human immunodeficiency virus-1 Tat protein on blood brain barrier and its mechanism / 中华实验和临床病毒学杂志

ABSTRACT

Human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) infects the human body and acts on the related cells of blood brain barrier, causing structural and functional abnormalities of blood brain barrier, which will be beneficial to the invasion of the virus into central nervous system. There are many types of the molecular mechanism of damage of blood brain barrier. Tat protein, as HIV-1 trans-activator of transcription, can damage the vascular endothelial cells, pericytes and astrocytes, and reduce the tight junction protein expression. Some chemicals such as methamphetamine can cooperate with HIV-1 Tat protein damage blood brain barrier. In this paper, the effects and its mechanism of HIV-1 Tat protein on blood brain barrier are reviewed.