Osaka University researchers identify RSPO3/LGR4 proteins that reduce inflammation, promote neural growth, and improve sensory and motor functions in mice after ischemic stroke, offering a promising avenue for new stroke therapies.
Ischemic stroke, caused by a blockage of blood flow to the brain, is a common cause of death and disability. Treatments are urgently needed to improve patient outcomes, because recovery currently depends largely on the timely injection of a blood clot-dissolving drug. Priorities for therapy include limiting inflammation at the ischemic site and rebuilding neuronal connections damaged by the stroke. However, a molecule that can achieve these therapeutic effects has remained elusive.
Previous studies have shown that RSPO3 and LGR4 are present in the same brain structures, and that RSPO3 activates LGR4 to stimulate the canonical Wnt pathway. The team from Osaka University localized RSPO3 in endothelial cells and LGR4 in microglia/macrophage cells and neurons in the ischemic brain.