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VEGF-E attenuates injury after ischemic stroke by promoting reparative neovascularization
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  • Romain Menet,
  • Maxime Bernard,
  • Leila Nasrallah,
  • Ayman ElAli
Romain Menet
Université Laval
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Maxime Bernard
Université Laval
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Leila Nasrallah
Université Laval
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Ayman ElAli
Université Laval

Corresponding Author:ayman.el-ali@crchudequebec.ulaval.ca

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Abstract

Post-stroke angiogenesis improves structural and functional recovery, outlining the promises of pro-angiogenic therapies. Unfortunately, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-A-mediated angiogenesis resulted in mitigated outcomes, as it significantly increases the risk of exacerbating injury via destabilization of the cerebrovascular network. VEGF-E, a non-mammalian VEGF-A homolog, has been reported to promote stable neovascularization upon skin injuries, and thus represents an interesting safe alternative to promote post-stroke angiogenesis. C57BL6/J wildtype mice were subjected to ischemic stroke using transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAo), and recombinant VEGF-E was intranasally delivered throughout the subacute phase. Our results indicate that VEGF-E reduces neuronal loss and improves motor recovery after stroke. VEGF-E attenuates cerebrovascular permeability at the injury site and increases the density of mature CD31+ microvessels. Furthermore, we show that VEGF-E reduces the events of microvascular stalls and improves brain endothelial cell coverage by perivascular cells, required for cerebrovascular stability. VEGF-E increases the density of angiogenic active CD105+ microvessels, while improving the recruitment of CD13+ pericytes, outlining synergistic effects on microvessel formation and stabilization. Using cell-based assays, we demonstrate that VEGF-E activates key pro-survival pathways in brain endothelial cells exposed to ischemia/reperfusion-like conditions, namely extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)1/2 and P38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) while preserving the tight junctions. Importantly, we report that the secretome of VEGF-stimulated brain endothelial cells improves perivascular cell migration that is required to mediate the interaction with endothelial cells. Our study indicates that VEGF-E promotes a stable neovascularization after ischemic stroke, paving the way to develop new strategies for therapeutic angiogenesis.
21 Nov 2024Submitted to European Journal of Neuroscience
27 Nov 2024Submission Checks Completed
27 Nov 2024Assigned to Editor
28 Nov 2024Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
28 Nov 2024Reviewer(s) Assigned
13 Dec 2024Editorial Decision: Revise Major