Perlecan domain V is neuroprotective and proangiogenic following ischemic stroke in rodents
Boyeon Lee, Douglas Clarke, Abraham Al Ahmad, Michael Kahle, Christi Parham, Lisa Auckland, Courtney Shaw, Mehmet Fidanboylu, Anthony Wayne Orr, Omolara Ogunshola, Andrzej Fertala, Sarah A. Thomas, Gregory J. Bix
Boyeon Lee, Douglas Clarke, Abraham Al Ahmad, Michael Kahle, Christi Parham, Lisa Auckland, Courtney Shaw, Mehmet Fidanboylu, Anthony Wayne Orr, Omolara Ogunshola, Andrzej Fertala, Sarah A. Thomas, Gregory J. Bix
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Research Article Angiogenesis

Perlecan domain V is neuroprotective and proangiogenic following ischemic stroke in rodents

Abstract

Stroke is the leading cause of long-term disability and the third leading cause of death in the United States. While most research thus far has focused on acute stroke treatment and neuroprotection, the exploitation of endogenous brain self-repair mechanisms may also yield therapeutic strategies. Here, we describe a distinct type of stroke treatment, the naturally occurring extracellular matrix fragment of perlecan, domain V, which we found had neuroprotective properties and enhanced post-stroke angiogenesis, a key component of brain repair, in rodent models of stroke. In both rat and mouse models, Western blot analysis revealed elevated levels of perlecan domain V. When systemically administered 24 hours after stroke, domain V was well tolerated, reached infarct and peri-infarct brain vasculature, and restored stroke-affected motor function to baseline pre-stroke levels in these multiple stroke models in both mice and rats. Post-stroke domain V administration increased VEGF levels via a mechanism involving brain endothelial cell α5β1 integrin, and the subsequent neuroprotective and angiogenic actions of domain V were in turn mediated via VEGFR. These results suggest that perlecan domain V represents a promising approach for stroke treatment.

Authors

Boyeon Lee, Douglas Clarke, Abraham Al Ahmad, Michael Kahle, Christi Parham, Lisa Auckland, Courtney Shaw, Mehmet Fidanboylu, Anthony Wayne Orr, Omolara Ogunshola, Andrzej Fertala, Sarah A. Thomas, Gregory J. Bix

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Figure 5

DV neuroprotection is VEGF and VEGFR mediated.

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DV neuroprotection is VEGF and VEGFR mediated. (A) Anti-VEGF Western blo...
(A) Anti-VEGF Western blot analysis of ipsilateral stroke hemispheres as labeled, with GAPDH as internal loading control. (B) Densitometry analysis of VEGF Western blot as shown in A as normalized to corresponding GAPDH bands (**P < 0.01, n = 15 per treatment group, per PSD). (C) Plot of VEGF ELISA ipsilateral stroke brain tissue treated as labeled (#P < 0.01 as compared with corresponding PBS-treated WT control or as labeled, n = 3 per treatment group per PSD). (D) Mean ischemic lesion volumes of stroke WT mice on PSD 1–3 treated as labeled (**P < 0.01, n = 15 per treatment group per PSD). (E) Vibrissae-elicited forelimb placement test on WT mice treated as labeled. DV had no effect in animals also treated with PTK787/ZK 222584 (P = NS). (F) NeuN and VEGFR2 co-immunohistochemistry of PSD 5 peri-infarct brain tissue of mice treated as labeled. White arrows indicate cells that were positive for both NeuN and VEGFR2. Scale bar: 50 μm. (G) Number of NeuN- and VEGFR2-positive cells per mm2 in the peri-infarct regions as labeled (**P < 0.01, n = 10 images per animal, 5 animals per treatment condition).