Amelioration of caspase 3,7 activity by SP01 in human primary neurons exposed to HIV

Abstract

Despite development of antiretroviral therapy (ARV) HIV associated neurocognitive disorder (HAND) continues to be a significant cause of morbidity. As ARVs are not entirely effective against HAND, there is significant motivation to discover novel therapies that are targeted towards the treatment of HAND. A novel formulation of procaine hydrochloride, SP01, is one potential molecule which has shown promise. Phase I clinical trials have found SP01 treatment to significantly increase CD4 cell counts and quality of life parameters in HIV infected patients. To assess SP01’s potential use for HAND we utilized an in vitro human primary neuron culture model and conducted co-exposure experiments with..