Treatment of vascular dementia in female rats with AV-001, an Angiopoietin-1 mimetic peptide, improves cognitive function

• Published in: Frontiers in neuroscience Vol. 18; p. 1408205
• Main Authors: Gao, Huanjia, Liu, Xianshuang, Venkat, Poornima, Findeis, Elizabeth, Zacharek, Alex, Powell, Brianna, Mccann, Mikkala, Kim, Harold, Zhang, Zhenggang, Chopp, Michael
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland Frontiers Media S.A 10.07.2024
• Subjects: Angiopoietin-1; cognition; microinfarct dementia; Neuroscience; vascular dementia; Vasculotide; white matter remodeling; Angiopoietin-1; Vasculotide; microinfarct dementia; white matter remodeling; cognition; vascular dementia
• ISSN: 1662-4548; 1662-453X; 1662-453X
• DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2024.1408205

Vascular dementia (VaD) is a complex neurodegenerative disorder. We previously found that treatment of VaD in middle-aged male rats subjected to multiple microinfarction (MMI) with AV-001, a Tie2 receptor agonist, significantly improves cognitive function. Age and sex affect the development and response of VaD to therapeutic intervention. Thus, the present study investigated the therapeutic effect of AV-001 on VaD in aged female rats subjected to MMI. Female 18-month-old Wistar rats were subjected to MMI by injecting either 1,000 (low dose, LD-MMI) or 6,000 (high dose, HD-MMI) cholesterol crystals of size 70-100 μm into the right internal carotid artery. AV-001 (1 μg/Kg, i.p.) was administered once daily after MMI for 1 month, with treatment initiated 1 day after MMI. A battery of behavioral tests to examine sensorimotor and cognitive functions was performed at 21-28 days after MMI. All rats were sacrificed at 1 month after MMI. Aged female rats subjected to LD-MMI exhibit severe neurological deficits, memory impairment, and significant white matter (WM) and oligodendrogenesis injury in the corpus callosum compared with control rats. HD-MMI in aged female rats induces significant anxiety- and depression-like behaviors, which were not detected in LD-MMI aged female rats. Also, HD-MMI induces significantly increased WM injury compared to LD-MMI. AV-001 treatment of LD-MMI and HD-MMI increases oligodendrogenesis, myelin and axon density in the corpus callosum and striatal WM bundles, promotes WM integrity and attenuates neurological and cognitive deficits. Additionally, both LD-MMI and HD-MMI rats exhibit a significant increase, while AV-001 significantly decreases the levels of inflammatory factors in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). MMI reduces oligodendrogenesis, and induces demyelination, axonal injury and WM injury, and causes memory impairment, while HD-MMI induces increased WM injury and further depression-like behaviors compared to LD-MMI rats. AV-001 has a therapeutic effect on aged female rats with MMI by reducing WM damage and improving neuro-cognitive outcomes.