Role of trophic factors on neuroimmunity in neurodegenerative infectious diseases

Viral infection of the central nervous system elicits a myriad of cellular, vascular, and neuroimmune factors that contribute to acute, subacute, and chronic damage to the brain. In response to cellular damage, the host is capable of producing trophic factors that may protect neuronal, glial, and endothelial cell populations. Both neurotrophic and angiotrophic factors can also operate by modulating the neuroimmune response, which plays a central role in the pathogenesis of the neurodegenerative process. In this regard, crosstalk signaling among host cells, components of the neuroimmune response, and virus could influence cell fate by production of trophic factors that protect or rescue neurons vulnerable to viral damage. In this context, the main objective of this review is to provide an overview of evidence in support of the role of trophic factors in regulating the neuroimmune response in chronic viral infections of the central nervous system. Special emphasis is placed on the interaction of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) Tat protein with endothelial, astroglial, microglial, and neuronal cells, resulting in altered expression of vascular endothelial growth factor, fibroblast growth factor, interleukin-8, and regulation of calcium flux via CXCR2, which directly influences neuronal cell fitness.