Brain Protein Improves Stroke Symptoms in Lab Rats

A protein naturally occurring in the brain improves recovery from stroke when injected up to three days after the onset of the stroke and could be used as an effective stroke drug.

A study in rats published in the October 18, 2006, open access journal BMC Biology revealed that an injection of granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF), whose function in the brain is to regulate the formation of neurons and counteract neuronal death, reduces the size of the area affected by a stroke by one-third when injected four hours after the onset of the stroke. The study also demonstrated that regular, delayed injections of G-CSF, starting up to three days after the induced stroke, are effective in restoring motor functions in rats.

G-CSF is known to improve recovery after a stroke, and it is currently being
evaluated for use in humans. This study is the first to show that G-CSF can be effective when injected this late after a stroke event.

Armin Schneider from Sygnis Bioscience AG (Heidelberg, Germany) (formerly known as Axaron Bioscience AG), and Wolf-Rüdiger Schäbitz, M.D., from the Neurology University of Münster (Germany), together with colleagues from the Universities of Heidelberg and Erlangen (Germany), utilized rat models of two different types of stroke to evaluate the effect of an injection of G-CSF on recovery.

The first model was used to examine the impact of G-CSF on the size of the brain area affected by the stroke, which is identified by the presence of dead neurons. In this model, the animals were injected with one dose of G-CSF at 60 µg/kg body weight four hours after the stroke. The investigators demonstrated that the size of the affected area is reduced by 34.5% in the rats that received G-CSF four hours after the stroke.

The second model was used to assess the effect of G-CSF on the functional
performance of the animals. In this model, the rats were injected 10 µg/kg body weight of G-CSF, starting 24 or 72 hours after the stroke, for a period of 10 days. Rats treated with G-CSF for 10 days after the stroke performed considerably better in an exercise designed to assess their physical abilities and coordination than rats that had been treated with placebo.

The results of this study should help to guide the design of future studies in humans.



Related Links:
Sygnis Bioscience
Neurology University of Münster