Neuroprotective effect of the RNS60 in a mouse model of transient focal cerebral ischemia

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 19; no. 1; p. e0295504
• Main Authors: Baena-Caldas, Gloria Patricia, Li, Jie, Pedraza, Lina, Ghosh, Supurna, Kalmes, Andreas, Barone, Frank C, Moreno, Herman, Hernández, A Iván
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 02.01.2024; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Amyloid beta-Peptides; Analysis; Animal cognition; Animal models; Animals; Biology and Life Sciences; Brain; Brain damage; Brain injury; Brain Ischemia - drug therapy; Cardiovascular system; Care and treatment; Carotid arteries; Cerebral blood flow; Cerebral infarction; Cerebral ischemia; Cognitive ability; Diagnosis; Disease Models, Animal; Dosage; Dosage and administration; Health problems; Hypoxia; Immunofluorescence; Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery - drug therapy; Inflammation; Investigations; Ischemia; Ischemic Attack, Transient; Lasers; Male; Medicine and Health Sciences; Memory; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Microvasculature; Myelination; Neurodegeneration; Neurons; Neurophysiology; Neuroprotection; Neuroprotective Agents - pharmacology; Neuroprotective Agents - therapeutic use; Object recognition; Occlusion; Pathology; Pattern recognition; Public health; Research and Analysis Methods; Stroke; Stroke - pathology; Substantia alba; Surgery; Tissue plasminogen activator; Variance analysis; Veins & arteries; β-Amyloid; United States; United States > US; Sweden
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0295504

Stroke is a major cause of death, disability, and public health problems. Its intervention is limited to early treatment with thrombolytics and/or endovascular clot removal with mechanical thrombectomy without any available subacute or chronic neuroprotective treatments. RNS60 has reduced neuroinflammation and increased neuronal survival in several animal models of neurodegeneration and trauma. The aim here was to evaluate whether RNS60 protects the brain and cognitive function in a mouse stroke model. Male C57BL/6J mice were subjected to sham or ischemic stroke surgery using 60-minute transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAo). In each group, mice received blinded daily administrations of RNS60 or control fluids (PNS60 or normal saline [NS]), beginning 2 hours after surgery over 13 days. Multiple neurobehavioral tests were conducted (Neurological Severity Score [mNSS], Novel Object Recognition [NOR], Active Place Avoidance [APA], and the Conflict Variant of APA [APAc]). On day 14, cortical microvascular perfusion (MVP) was measured, then brains were removed and infarct volume, immunofluorescence of amyloid beta (Aβ), neuronal density, microglial activation, and white matter damage/myelination were measured. SPSS was used for analysis (e.g., ANOVA for parametric data; Kruskal Wallis for non-parametric data; with post-hoc analysis). Thirteen days of treatment with RNS60 reduced brain infarction, amyloid pathology, neuronal death, microglial activation, white matter damage, and increased MVP. RNS60 reduced brain pathology and resulted in behavioral improvements in stroke compared to sham surgery mice (increased memory-learning in NOR and APA, improved cognitive flexibility in APAc). RNS60-treated mice exhibit significant protection of brain tissue and improved neurobehavioral functioning after tMCAo-stroke. Additional work is required to determine mechanisms, time-window of dosing, and multiple dosing volumes durations to support clinical stroke research.