• Yang Yao, Weimin Miao, Zhijia Liu, Wei Han, Kaibin Shi, Yi Shen, Handong Li, Qiang Liu, Ying Fu, DeRen Huang, and Fu-Dong Shi.
• Department of Neurology, Tianjin Neurological Institute, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, 300052, China.
• Transl Stroke Res. 2016 Dec 1; 7 (6): 535-547.

AbstractOxidative stress plays an important role in cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury. Dimethyl fumarate (DMF) and its primary metabolite monomethyl fumarate (MMF) are antioxidant agents that can activate the nuclear factor erythroid-2-related factor 2 (Nrf2)/heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) pathway and induce the expression of antioxidant proteins. Here, we evaluated the impact of DMF and MMF on ischemia-induced brain injury and whether the Nrf2 pathway mediates the effects provided by DMF and MMF in cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury. Using a mouse model of transient focal brain ischemia, we show that DMF and MMF significantly reduce neurological deficits, infarct volume, brain edema, and cell death. Further, DMF and MMF suppress glial activation following brain ischemia. Importantly, the protection of DMF and MMF was mostly evident during the subacute stage and was abolished in Nrf2-/- mice, indicating that the Nrf2 pathway is required for the beneficial effects of DMF and MMF. Together, our data indicate that DMF and MMF have therapeutic potential in cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury and their protective role is likely mediated by the Nrf2 pathway.

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