Cerebral hemorrhage therapy by targeting VEGF and HGF in a preclinical trial in rats

Cerebral hemorrhage is the most common type of human cerebrovascular disease and frequently causes paralysis, vegetative state and mortality. The modulatory actions of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) are vital in the human nervous system. The present study investigated the association between cerebral hemorrhage and the expression of VEGF and HGF in a rat model of cerebral hemorrhage. The therapeutic potential of cerebral hemorrhage was also evaluated using targeted drugs for VEGF and HGF in the cerebral hemorrhage rat model. Behavioral and preclinical changes and the survival rates of rats were assessed after treatment with VEGF receptor (VEGFR) and HGF receptor (HGFR). The results of Tarlov scores demonstrated that movement of limbs and coordination when walking were significantly improved in moderate and severe hemorrhage lesions in the VEGFR plus HGFR‑treated group and mainly alleviated in primary hemorrhage lesions compared with rats in the single VEGFR or HGFR‑treated groups and the control group (**P<0.01). Decreasing expression levels of VEGF and HGF were observed in the neural tissue of animals treated with VEGFR plus HGFR compared with the control group (**P<0.01). These preclinical observations indicated that VEGF and HGF serve a function in the pathological injury and repair of cerebral tissue in rats with cerebral hemorrhages. The therapeutic benefits of VEGFR plus HGFR suggested that VEGFR plus HGFR may be candidate drugs for cerebral hemorrhage, and thus offer a promising treatment for clinicians and doctors.