Hydrogel-delivered brain-derived neurotrophic factor promotes tissue repair and recovery after stroke. Issue 3 (March 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Cook, Douglas J; Nguyen, Cynthia; Chun, Hyun N; L Llorente, Irene; Chiu, Abraham S; Machnicki, Michal; Zarembinski, Thomas I; Carmichael, S Thomas
• Is Part Of: Journal of cerebral blood flow & metabolism. Volume 37:Issue 3(2017)
• Page Start: 1030
• Page End: 1045
• Publication Date: 2017-03
• Subjects: Axonal sprouting -- bioengineering -- hyaluronan -- neurogenesis -- neural repair; Cerebral circulation -- Periodicals; Brain -- Metabolism -- Periodicals; Brain -- Blood-vessels -- Periodicals; Cerebrovascular disease -- Periodicals; 612.824
• DOI: 10.1177/0271678X16649964
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0271-678X

Abstract

Stroke is the leading cause of adult disability. Systemic delivery of candidate neural repair therapies is limited by the blood–brain barrier and off-target effects. We tested a bioengineering approach for local depot release of BDNF from the infarct cavity for neural repair in chronic periods after stroke. The brain release levels of a hyaluronic acid hydrogel + BDNF were tested in several stroke models in mouse (strains C57Bl/6, DBA) and non-human primate ( Macaca fascicularis ) and tracked with MRI. The behavioral recovery effects of hydrogel + BDNF and the effects on tissue repair outcomes were determined. Hydrogel-delivered BDNF diffuses from the stroke cavity into peri-infarct tissue over 3 weeks in two mouse stroke models, compared with 1 week for direct BDNF injection. Hydrogel delivery of BDNF promotes recovery of motor function. Mapping of motor system connections indicates that hydrogel-BDNF induces axonal sprouting within existing cortical and cortico-striatal systems. Pharmacogenetic studies show that hydrogel-BDNF induces the initial migration of immature neurons into the peri-infarct cortex and their long-term survival. In chronic stroke in the non-human primate, hydrogel-released BDNF can be detected up to 2 cm from the infarct, a distance relevant to human functional recovery in stroke. The hydrogel can be tracked by MRI in mouse and primate.