Nogo-A targeted therapy promotes vascular repair and functional recovery following stroke

Abstract

Significance Patients suffering from ischemic strokes have limited therapeutic options and are often left with considerable disabilities. To promote neurological recovery, angiogenesis has been proposed as a promising therapeutic target. So far, experimental efforts to enhance vessel growth have almost exclusively focused on vascular growth factor supplementation; this approach has been shown not to be clinically viable due to hemorrhagic risks. Here, we pursued an alternative approach by targeting the guidance molecule Nogo-A, which has been recently shown to inhibit developmental central nervous system angiogenesis. Blockage of the Nogo-A pathway results in restoration of a mature vascular bed within the periinfarct zone. Moreover, we observe enhanced recovery-associated tissue responses and regain of motor functions that strongly correlate with vascular growth.