While clinical trials have now solidified the role of thrombectomy in emergent large vessel occlusive stroke, additional therapies are needed to optimize patient outcome. Using our previously described experimental ischemic stroke model for evaluating adjunctive intra-arterial drug therapy after vessel recanalization, we studied the potential neuroprotective effects of verapamil. A calcium channel blocker, verapamil is often infused intra-arterially by neurointerventionalists to treat cerebral vasospasm. Such a direct route of administration allows for both focused targeting of stroke-impacted brain tissue and minimizes potential systemic side effects. Intra-arterial administration of verapamil at a flow rate of 2.5 µl/min and injection volume of 10 µl immediately after middle cerebral artery recanalization in C57/Bl6 mice was shown to be profoundly neuroprotective as compared to intra-arterial vehicle-treated stroke controls. Specifically, we noted a significant (P ≤ 0.05) decrease in infarct volume, astrogliosis, and cellular apoptosis as well as a significant increase in neuronal survival and functional outcome over seven days. Furthermore, intra-arterial administration of verapamil was well tolerated with no hemorrhage, systemic side effects, or increased mortality. Thus, verapamil administered intra-arterially immediately following recanalization in experimental ischemic stroke is both safe and neuroprotective and merits further study as a potential therapeutic adjunct to thrombectomy.

Large vessel ischemic stroke represents the most disabling subtype. While t-PA and endovascular thrombectomy can recanalize the occluded vessel, good clinical outcomes are not uniformly achieved. We propose that supplementing endovascular thrombectomy with superselective intra-arterial (IA) verapamil immediately following recanalization could be safe and effective. Verapamil, a calcium channel blocker, has been shown to be an effective IA adjunct in a pre-clinical mouse focal ischemia model. To demonstrate translational efficacy, mechanism, feasibility, and safety, we conducted a group of translational experiments. We performed in vivo IA dose-response evaluation in our animal stroke model with C57/Bl6 mice. We evaluated neuroprotective mechanism through in vitro primary cortical neuron (PCN) cultures. Finally, we performed a Phase I trial, SAVER-I, to evaluate feasibility and safety of administration in the human condition. IA verapamil has a likely plateau or inverted-U dose-response with a defined toxicity level in mice (LD 50 16-17.5 mg/kg). Verapamil significantly prevented PCN death and deleterious ischemic effects. Finally, the SAVER-I clinical trial showed no evidence that IA verapamil increased the risk of intracranial hemorrhage or other adverse effect/procedural complication in human subjects. We conclude that superselective IA verapamil administration immediately following thrombectomy is safe and feasible, and has direct, dose-response-related benefits in ischemia.

With continuing disconnect between laboratory stroke treatment models and clinical stroke therapy, we propose a novel experimental model to study stroke and vessel recanalization that mirrors acute management of large vessel stroke, with concomitant directed pharmacotherapy. Using the tandem transient ipsilateral common carotid/middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model to induce stroke in mice we then added selective intra-arterial (IA) drug administration for directed pharmacotherapy. The IA model uses micro-angio tubing placed at the bifurcation of the CCA to selectively administer the drug to the internal carotid distribution. We have shown that delivery of pharmacotherapy agents selectively through an IA injection is feasible in a mouse model, which will permit studies involving pharmacotherapy, transgenic modification, and/or a combination. Our IA model has similarities to previously published models of IA injection but differs in that we do not leave an indwelling micro-port or catheter in our animals, which is not clinically relevant as it does not reflect the human condition or current clinical management. Furthermore, we optimized our model to selectively direct therapy to the ipsilateral, stroke affected hemisphere. By developing an IA drug delivery model that mirrors clinical conditions, we are bridging the gap between basic stroke research and what is standard practice in acute ischemic stroke intervention. The IA model of drug delivery can target agents directly to the site of injury while blunting systemic effects, dose penetration issues, and administration delay that have plagued the intraperitoneal and oral drug administration models.

BackgroundStroke remains a leading cause of death and disability worldwide despite recent treatment breakthroughs. A primary event in stroke pathogenesis is the development of a potent and deleterious local and peripheral inflammatory response regulated by the pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-1 (IL-1). While the role of IL-1β (main released isoform) has been well studied in stroke, the role of the IL-1α isoform remains largely unknown. With increasing utilization of intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) or thrombectomy to pharmacologically or mechanically remove ischemic stroke causing blood clots, respectively, there is interest in pairing successful cerebrovascular recanalization with neurotherapeutic pharmacological interventions (Fraser et al., J Cereb Blood Flow Metab 37:3531–3543, 2017; Hill et al., Lancet Neurol 11:942–950, 2012; Amaro et al., Stroke 47:2874–2876, 2016).MethodsTransient stroke was induced in mice via one of two methods. One group of mice were subjected to tandem ipsilateral common carotid artery and middle cerebral artery occlusion, while another group underwent the filament-based middle cerebral artery occlusion. We have recently developed an animal model of intra-arterial (IA) drug administration after recanalization (Maniskas et al., J Neurosci Met 240:22–27, 2015). Sub groups of the mice were treated with either saline or Il-1α, wherein the drug was administered either acutely (immediately after surgery) or subacutely (on the third day after stroke). This was followed by behavioral and histological analyses.ResultsWe now show in the above-mentioned mouse stroke models (transient tandem ipsilateral common carotid artery (CCA) and middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCA) occlusion, MCA suture occlusion) that IL-1α is neuroprotective when acutely given either intravenously (IV) or IA at low sub-pathologic doses. Furthermore, while IV administration induces transient hemodynamic side effects without affecting systemic markers of inflammation, IA delivery further improves overall outcomes while eliminating these side effects. Additionally, we show that delayed/subacute IV IL-1α administration ameliorates functional deficit and promotes neurorepair.ConclusionsTaken together, our present study suggests for the first time that IL-1α could, unexpectedly, be an effective ischemic stroke therapy with a broad therapeutic window.

Background Nitroglycerin (also known as glyceryl trinitrate (GTN)), a vasodilator best known for treatment of ischemic heart disease, has also been investigated for its potential therapeutic benefit in ischemic stroke. The completed Efficacy of Nitric Oxide in Stroke trial suggested that GTN has therapeutic benefit with acute (within 6 hours) transdermal systemic sustained release therapy. Objective To examine an alternative use of GTN as an acute therapy for ischemic stroke following successful recanalization. Methods We administered GTN IA following transient middle cerebral artery occlusion in mice. Because no standard dose of GTN is available following emergent large vessel occlusion, we performed a dose-response (3.12, 6.25, 12.5, and 25 .ig/.iL) analysis. Next, we looked at blood perfusion (flow) through the middle cerebral artery using laser Doppler flowmetry. Functional outcomes, including forced motor movement rotor rod, were assessed in the 3.12, 6.25, and 12.5 .ig/.iL groups. Histological analysis was performed using cresyl violet for infarct volume, and glial fibrillary activating protein (GFAP) and NeuN immunohistochemistry for astrocyte activation and mature neuron survival, respectively. Results Overall, we found that acute post-stroke IA GTN had little effect on vessel dilatation after 15 min. Functional analysis showed a significant difference between GTN (3.12 and 6.25 .ig/.iL) and control at post-stroke day 1. Histological measures showed a significant reduction in infarct volume and GFAP immunoreactivity and a significant increase in NeuN. Conclusions These results demonstrate that acute IA GTN is neuroprotective in experimental ischemic stroke and warrants further study as a potentially new stroke therapy. INTRODUCTIONStroke, disruption of blood flow to the brain due to vascular occlusion (ischemic) or bleeding (hemorrhagic), is the second leading cause of death worldwide and a leading cause of long-term disability. 1 Emergent large vessel occlusion (ELVO) is the most life-threatening and disabling type of ischemic stroke. Treatment options for ELVO consist of endovascular thrombectomy (ET) and/or IV tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA), but not all patients are eligible owing to exclusion criteria. [2][3][4] Furthermore, while ET and IV t-PA have improvedpatient survival, there is a need for adjunctive therapies to be used in tandem with or as a standalone treatment following successful vessel recanalization. 5 Any potential pharmacotherapy administration may be most successful and cause fewer systemic side effects if it is targeted at the site of ischemia. We hypothesize that improved treatment for ELVO might include rapid recanalization of the occluded vessel via ET combined with directed acute pharmacotherapy. To test such a targeted therapeutic approach, our laboratory uses an IA experimental model of pharmacotherapy administration in combination with transient tandem ipsilateral common carotid artery (CCA) and middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion, hereafter referred to as MCA ...

Aging and stroke alter the composition of the basement membrane and reduce the perivascular distribution of cerebrospinal fluid and solutes, which may contribute to poor functional recovery in elderly patients. Following stroke, TGF-β induces astrocyte activation and subsequent glial scar development. This is dysregulated with aging and could lead to chronic, detrimental changes within the basement membrane. We hypothesized that TGF-β induces basement membrane fibrosis after stroke, leading to impaired perivascular CSF distribution and poor functional recovery in aged animals. We found that CSF entered the aged brain along perivascular tracts; this process was reduced by experimental stroke and was rescued by TGF-β receptor inhibition. Brain fibronectin levels increased with experimental stroke, which was reversed with inhibitor treatment. Exogenous TGF-β stimulation increased fibronectin expression, both in vivo and in primary cultured astrocytes. Oxygen-glucose deprivation of cultured astrocytes induced multiple changes in genes related to astrocyte activation and extracellular matrix

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Bilateral carotid artery stenosis (BCAS) is one experimental model of vascular dementia thought to preferentially impact brain white matter. Indeed, few studies report hippocampal and cortical pathology prior to 30 days post-stenosis; though it is unclear whether those studies examined regions outside the white matter. Since changes in the blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability precede more overt brain pathology in various diseases, we hypothesized that changes within the BBB and/or BBB-associated extracellular matrix (ECM) could occur earlier after BCAS in the hippocampus, cortex and striatum and be a precursor of longer term pathology. Here, C57Bl/6 mice underwent BCAS or sham surgeries and changes in the BBB and ECM were analyzed by collagen IV (vascular basement membrane component), α5 integrin (marker of endothelial activation), claudin-5 and occludin (tight junction proteins), Evans blue (permeability marker), Ki-67 (cell proliferation marker), and GFAP and CD11b (glial cell markers) immunohistochemistry after 14 days. Significant changes in markers of cerebrovascular integrity and glial activation were detected, not only in the striatum, but also in the hippocampus and cortex. In conclusion, this study demonstrates for the first time that changes in the BBB/ECM occur shortly after BCAS and within multiple brain regions and suggests such changes might underlie the gradual development of BCAS non-white matter pathology.