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Viruses
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HIV and Drugs of Abuse, 4th Edition
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HIV and Drugs of Abuse, 4th Edition

A special issue of Viruses (ISSN 1999-4915). This special issue belongs to the section "Human Virology and Viral Diseases".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2026 | Viewed by 1647

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Maria Cecilia Garibaldi Marcondes

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Guest Editor
San Diego Biomedical Research Institute (SDBRI), 3525 John Hopkins Ct., San Diego, CA 92121, USA
Interests: neuroinflammation; neuro-immunemodulation; chronic inflammation; brain pathogenesis; HIV associated neurological disorders; drugs of abuse; innate immune response
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Marcus Kaul

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Division of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
Interests: neuroinflammation; neurodegenerative disease; host-pathogen interactions; HIV-1; drug abuse; innate immunity; microglia/macrophages; neuroprotection; stem cells
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Substance use disorders and HIV infection are long-standing public health concerns and frequent comorbidities. HIV continues to cause neurocognitive deficits despite highly effective anti-retroviral therapies that lead to viral suppression. Combined with the neurobehavioral factors underlying substance use and the neurological consequences of addictive drugs, HIV-associated neurological disorders present a range of distinctive characteristics, and there is still no treatment available. The modulation of immune functions by the actions of neurotransmitters released under the influence of such drugs may be one reason for the aggravating effects of addiction on HIV-associated disorders in the central nervous system. Among the addictive drugs, methamphetamine and other stimulants are highly detrimental due to the associated risky behaviors, and due to their effects on neurotransmitters interfering with cellular responses. Given that innate and adaptive immune cells express neurotransmitter receptors, HIV target cells in the context of substance use respond differently than in non-users, particularly in the brain. Polysubstance use is highly prevalent among individuals with addictive behaviors, further complicating the picture. In this Special Issue of Viruses, we aim at integrating information derived from research with humans and animal models, as well as in cells of the immune system, thus providing a unique multidimentional and translational perspective of the clinical and mechanistic interactions between HIV and drugs of abuse that contribute to neurological disorders. Original work performed by interdisciplinary teams will be showcased.

Dr. Maria Cecilia Garibaldi Marcondes
Prof. Dr. Marcus Kaul
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Viruses is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • substance use disorders
  • HIV
  • HAND
  • methamphetamine

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 688 KB  
Article
Cannabis Use Moderates Methamphetamine- and HIV-Related Inflammation: Evidence from Human Plasma Markers
by Jeffrey M. Rogers, Victoria O. Chentsova, Crystal X. Wang, Maria Cecilia Garibaldi Marcondes, Mariana Cherner, Ronald J. Ellis, Scott L. Letendre, Robert K. Heaton, Igor Grant and Jennifer E. Iudicello
Viruses 2025, 17(8), 1143; https://doi.org/10.3390/v17081143 - 20 Aug 2025
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Abstract
Background: Methamphetamine use, which is disproportionately prevalent among people with HIV, increases risk for cardio- and neurovascular pathology through persistent immune activation and inflammation. Preclinical studies indicate that cannabinoids may reduce markers of pro-inflammatory processes, but data from people with chronic inflammatory conditions [...] Read more.
Background: Methamphetamine use, which is disproportionately prevalent among people with HIV, increases risk for cardio- and neurovascular pathology through persistent immune activation and inflammation. Preclinical studies indicate that cannabinoids may reduce markers of pro-inflammatory processes, but data from people with chronic inflammatory conditions are limited. We examined potentially interacting associations of lifetime methamphetamine use disorder (MUD), recent cannabis use, and HIV with four plasma markers of immune and inflammatory functions. Method: Participants with HIV (PWH, n = 86) and without HIV (PWoH, n = 148) provided urine and blood samples and completed neuromedical, psychiatric, and substance use assessments. Generalized linear models examined main and conditional associations of lifetime MUD, past-month cannabis use, and HIV with plasma concentrations of CXCL10/IP-10, CCL2/MCP-1, ICAM-1, and VCAM-1. Results: PWH displayed higher CXCL10/IP-10 than PWoH. Past-month cannabis use was independently associated with lower CXCL10/IP-10 levels and conditionally lower CCL2/MCP-1, ICAM-1, and VCAM-1 levels among people with lifetime MUD, but only PWoH displayed cannabis-associated lower VCAM-1 levels. Conclusions: Human plasma sample evidence suggests that cannabis use is associated with lower levels of immune and inflammatory molecules in the context of MUD or HIV. Cannabinoid pathways may be worthwhile clinical targets for treating sequelae of chronic inflammatory conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue HIV and Drugs of Abuse, 4th Edition)
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22 pages, 10244 KB  
Article
A Single-Cell Perspective on the Effects of Dopamine in the Regulation of HIV Latency Phenotypes in a Myeloid Cell Model
by Liana V. Basova, Wei Ling Lim, Violaine Delorme-Walker, Tera Riley, Kaylin Au, Daniel Siqueira Lima, Marina Lusic, Ronald J. Ellis, Howard S. Fox and Maria Cecilia Garibaldi Marcondes
Viruses 2025, 17(7), 895; https://doi.org/10.3390/v17070895 - 25 Jun 2025
Viewed by 685
Abstract
Psychostimulants such as methamphetamine (Meth) induce high dopamine (DA) levels in the brain, which can modify immune cells expressing DA receptors. This is relevant in conditions of infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), overlapping with substance use. However, the effects of DA [...] Read more.
Psychostimulants such as methamphetamine (Meth) induce high dopamine (DA) levels in the brain, which can modify immune cells expressing DA receptors. This is relevant in conditions of infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), overlapping with substance use. However, the effects of DA on HIV latency phenotypes are largely unknown. We used single-cell methods and gene network computational analysis to understand these relationships, using the U1 latent promonocyte model to identify signatures of latency and its reversal in the context of DA exposure. Our findings point to mechanisms by which high DA levels in the brains of substance users may impact HIV transcription and neuroinflammation. Our data indicate that latency is maintained along with the expression of histone linkers and components of chromatin organization, with increased metabolic pathways that may lead to pathways in neurodegeneration. DA exposure decreased latency signature genes, histone linkers, and protein-containing complex organization components, unleashing inflammatory pathways and HIV gene transcription. Overall, this work suggests that DA can induce latency reversal through mechanisms that can be harnessed to drive cells. The proposed methods developed here in cell lines can be used to identify latency signatures in other HIV infection systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue HIV and Drugs of Abuse, 4th Edition)
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