Human immunodeficiency virus (
HIV) infection of the brain is associated pathologically with neuronal damage and loss. Clinically
cognitive impairments can develop, which in some can be improved by
highly active antiretroviral therapy (
HAART), whereas in others, the
infection persists despite treatment. The efficacy of antiretrovirals to treat
cognitive impairments may be related to their ability to suppress viral replication in the brain and also to prevent neurodegeneration. To investigate this question, the authors assessed the ability of
stavudine (300 nM),
zidovudine (2 nM), and
abacavir (300 nM) to suppress viral replication in human brain tissue aggregates infected with HIV-1 SF162. Aggregates were cultured for 4 weeks and exposed to
nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) either 24 h prior, simultaneously, or 24 h post
infection. Viral replication was assessed by p24
enzyme-linked
immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in culture medium. The authors observed a statistically significant reduction in the rate of viral replication for
stavudine added 24 h prior to
infection univariate analysis of variance ([UANOVA], t = 2.55, df = 17, P =.021). Decreased viral replication observed with
zidovudine and
abacavir was not statistically significant.