Researchers with the RIKEN Center for Brain Science and Ochanomizu University evaluated a treatment for stroke that appears to decrease the damage to the brain. The scientists studied the approach in mice.
Researchers with the RIKEN Center for Brain Science and Ochanomizu University evaluated a treatment for stroke that appears to decrease the damage to the brain. The scientists studied the approach in mice. They published their research in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
A stroke is a condition where reduced blood flow to the brain causes cell death. The standard treatment is clotting factors, such as thrombin. However, there are other stroke-related indications that can be targeted, including swelling and ion imbalances in surroundings fluids. One aspect of stroke in an immediate ion concentration imbalance in the fluids around brain cells. Potassium levels spike and fluid accumulates, causing swelling, a major cause of brain injury from stroke.
The researchers found that they could normalize brain fluids using a combination of drugs called adrenergic receptor (AdR) antagonists, which block the activity of adrenaline in the brain. In the mouse model, it helped motor recover and reduced cell death. “We know that the water dynamics in the brain immediately during and after a stroke are critical, so we focused on the pathways that move fluids in and out of cells,” stated Hiromu Monai of the RIKEN Center.
Using a cocktail of AdR blockers successfully decreased the area of tissue damage and potassium levels in mice who had strokes. In addition, one to two hours post-stroke, using the AdR blockers was effective in halting the spread of the stroke.
The researchers found that aquaporin 4, a water channel, had lower levels after a stroke. “We think that preserving aquaporin levels is critical to protecting brain tissue during stroke,” Monai stated.
They studied mice that lacked the aquaporin 4 water channel. This group did not benefit from AdR blocker treatment. Their brain potassium levels stayed high after the stroke.
Monai stated, “Keeping potassium levels in balance is an alternative therapeutic strategy for stroke, and we found that adrenergic receptor blockers promote this normalization. Recovering motor function following a stroke is so important, and we also saw improvements in the mice treated with AdR blockers.”
The research included contributions from Keio University and the University of Copenhagen. A patent application has been filed in Japan for adrenergic blocker treatment for stroke.
In March, Amarin Corporation, headquartered in Bedminster, NJ and Dublin, Ireland, presented data at the American College of Cardiology (ACC) annual meeting showing that its Vascepa (icosapent ethyl) decreases the risk of first and subsequent heart attacks, strokes and heart problems by 30 percent.
Vascepa is derived from fish—but is not fish oil. It is made up of the omega-3 acid (EPA) in ethyl-ester form and has been designated as a new chemical entity by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The REDUCE-IT clinical trial looked at 8,179 patients, evaluating the effect of Vascepa as an add-on to statins in patients with high cardiovascular risk who, despite stable statin therapy, had high triglyceride levels of at least 135 mg/dL. A big portion of those enrolled in the trial were also diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.
Although lowering triglyceride levels alone in other studies hasn’t lowered cardiovascular risk, in this study, Vascepa significantly decreased the first occurrence of primary major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) by 25 percent and primary plus recurrent MACE by 30 percent compared to placebo. It also seemed to decrease the incidence of a fourth or more adverse events by 48 percent compared to placebo.
These approaches, including statins, like Pfizer’s Lipitor, are designed to decrease the risk of heart attacks and strokes. The Japanese approach is designed to decrease the damage caused by stroke after it has occurred.
