Neurosurgery
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Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) enhances neurogenesis in ischemic brains. However, in most circumstances, endogenous VEGF expression is limited and insufficient to prevent brain damage. We transferred the VEGF gene into brain tissue with recombinant adeno-associated virus serotype 1 (rAAV1) vectors and determined the effect of VEGF expression on neurogenesis and recovery of neurological function after brain ischemia. ⋯ rAAV1-mediated expression of VEGF in the rat brain reduces the size of the infarcted lesion and promotes recovery of neurological function, likely by enhancing neurogenesis in the subventricular zone and promoting neural precursor migration to brain tissue around the core of the ischemic lesion.
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Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is a devastating clinical syndrome for which no truly efficacious therapy has yet been identified. In preclinical studies, erythropoietin (EPO) and its long-lasting analog, darbepoetin alfa, have been demonstrated to be neuroprotective in several models of neuronal insult. The objectives of this study were to analyze whether the systemic administration of recombinant human EPO (rHuEPO) and its long-lasting derivative darbepoetin alfa expedited functional recovery and brain damage in a rat model of ICH. ⋯ These results demonstrate that weekly administered darbepoetin alfa confers behavioral and histological neuroprotection after ICH in rats similar to that of daily EPO administration. Administration of EPO and its long-lasting recombinant forms affords significant neuroprotection in an ICH model and may hold promise for future clinical applications.