Cerebrolysin^® improves Blood-Brain-Barrier (BBB) Integrity

Thrombolysis using intravenous recombinant-tissue plasminogen activator (IV tPA) is the current gold standard for the treatment of acute ischemic stroke (AIS).

But there is also a risk of this treatment: In 2% to 7% of patients treated with tPA within the recommended time window of 4.5 hours hemorrhagic transformation occurs.

While the benefits of tPA treatment greatly outweigh the risks of bleeding the question remains if this risk can be further reduced.

The Henry Ford University in Detroit, USA investigated if Cerebrolysin^® has beneficial effects in this field. See below what has been found in this recently published study.

It has been demonstrated that tPA and fibrin trigger elevation of proinflammatory and procoagulant proteins and reduce tight junction proteins in the endothelial cells. So, proinflammatory and procoagulant proteins, including HMGB1, TNF?, ICAM1 and NFkB, disrupt the BBB and tight junction proteins, including ZO-1, occludin and claudin-5, are critical for the formation and maintenance of BBB integrity. Thus, tPA increases BBB permeability, and the risk of hemorrhagic transformation.

Beneficial effects of Cerebrolysin^®:
A significant decrease of tPA/fibrin-induced proinflammatory and procoagulant proteins was shown in human cells treated with Cerebrolysin^®.

In parallel Cerebrolysin^® significantly increases tPA/fibrin-reduced tight junction proteins.

Cerebrolysin^® significantly reduces tPA augmented permeability by more than 50% and makes the BBB tighter again!

These data show how Cerebrolysin^® achieves its beneficial effects on the improvement of cerebral endothelial cell integrity. Cerebrolysin^® decreases tPA/fibrin-induced proinflammatory and procoagulant proteins and increases tPA/fibrin-reduced tight junction proteins.

Clinical study results will follow soon to further prove these effects. Stay tuned!