Anti-stroke Gel
Stroke is the main cause of disability due to the inability of the brain to repair damaged tissue. In the ischemic zone, the reactions of inflammation and the immune response increase, there is practically no recovery of nerve cells and blood vessels. The dead brain tissue is absorbed, and in its place there remains a cavity devoid of blood vessels, neurons and axons – thin nerve fibers that are processes of neurons.
To restore tissues that have undergone ischemia, angiogenic drugs are used that enhance vascular growth. But these techniques are still poorly understood and it is not known whether this leads to the regeneration of brain tissue and the restoration of functions.
Researchers from the University of California at Los Angeles (University of California, Los Angeles) have developed an immunomodulating angiogenic biomaterial, which, when injected into the stroke cavity, leads to the formation of de novo tissue and the growth of axons along newly formed blood vessels.
The hydrogel is based on enzymes from the group of hyaluronidases and matrix metalloproteinases. Angiogenic and immunomodulatory components in the gel stimulate the growth of blood vessels and suppress inflammation. It is the inflammation that leads to the formation of a scar and prevents the restoration of normal tissue.
16 weeks after the administration of the hydrogel to mice in the acute period, the stroke cavity contained normal brain tissue, including new axons – a result that had not been achieved before. The mice have improved their ability to move around in search of food. This indicates the restoration of motor behavior.
The exact mechanism of action of the gel is not yet clear: either newly formed axons began to function fully, or new neurons stimulated the work of the surrounding intact tissue.
The gel was gradually destroyed and excreted from the body, leaving behind only new tissue.
The study is devoted to recovery in the acute period of stroke. In mice, it lasts five days, in humans - two months.
The authors plan to investigate whether it is possible to use the gel to achieve regeneration of brain tissue in mice in the later period of stroke.
Article by L. R. Nih et al. Dual-function injectable angiogenic biomaterial for the repair of brain tissue following stroke is published in the journal Nature Materials.
Aminat Adzhieva, portal "Eternal Youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru based on UCLA Newsroom: Biomaterial developed at UCLA helps regrow brain tissue after stroke in mice.