Eva-Maria Ratai1, Chan-Gyu Joo1, Jeffrey Bombardier1, Julian He1, Lakshman Annamalai2, Tricia H. Burdo3, Jennifer H. Campbell3, Caroline Soulas3, Patrick Autissier3, Susan V. Westmoreland2, Kenneth Williams3, R. Gilberto Gonzalez1
1Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital - A.A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Charlestown, MA, USA; 2New England Regional Primate Research Center, Southborough, MA, USA; 3Biology Department, Boston College, Boston, MA, USA
Untreated simian immunodeficiency virus leads to neuronal injury which can be detected by in vivo MR Spectroscopy (MRS) by a decrease in neuronal marker N-Acelylaspartate/Creatine (NAA/Cr). Using in vivo, single voxel 1H MRS in an accelerated macaque model of neuroAIDS, we found that minocycline, a well-tolerated, inexpensive anti-inflammatory tetracycline-type antibiotic prevents neuronal injury. In all four brain regions measured, NAA/Cr was elevated compared to an untreated control cohort. In addition, markers of inflammation/gliosis such as Cr and choline declined to normal levels after treatment by minocycline.
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