Journal of neurosurgery
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Journal of neurosurgery · Sep 2017
Effect of combined VEGF165/SDF-1 gene therapy on vascular remodeling and blood perfusion in cerebral ischemia.
OBJECTIVE Therapeutic neovascularization is a promising strategy for treating patients after an ischemic stroke; however, single-factor therapy has limitations. Stromal cell-derived factor 1 (SDF-1) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) proteins synergistically promote angiogenesis. In this study, the authors assessed the effect of combined gene therapy with VEGF165 and SDF-1 in a rat model of cerebral infarction. ⋯ RESULTS The Ad- VEGF165-SDF-1 vector mediated coexpression of VEGF165 and SDF-1 in multiple sites around the ischemic core, including the cortex, corpus striatum, and hippocampal granular layer. Coexpression of VEGF165 and SDF-1 improved neural function, reduced cerebral infarction volume, increased microvascular density and promoted angiogenesis in the ischemic penumbra, and improved cerebral blood flow and perfusion. CONCLUSIONS Combined VEGF165 and SDF-1 gene therapy represents a potential strategy for improving vascular remodeling and recovery of neural function after cerebral infarction.