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Updated: Jun 28, 2025

Assessment of Vascular Regeneration in the CNS Using the Mouse Retina
Published on: June 23, 2014
The Role of NRF2 in Cerebrovascular Protection: Implications for Vascular Cognitive Impairment and Dementia (VCID)
Yizhou Hu1,2,3, Feng Zhang1,2, Milos Ikonomovic1,4,5
1Department of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15216, USA.
Abstract:
Vascular cognitive impairment and dementia (VCID) represents a broad spectrum of cognitive decline secondary to cerebral vascular aging and injury. It is the second most common type of dementia, and the prevalence continues to increase. Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2) is enriched in the cerebral vasculature and has diverse roles in metabolic balance, mitochondrial stabilization, redox balance, and anti-inflammation. In this review, we first briefly introduce cerebrovascular aging in VCID and the NRF2 pathway. We then extensively discuss the effects of NRF2 activation in cerebrovascular components such as endothelial cells, vascular smooth muscle cells, pericytes, and perivascular macrophages. Finally, we summarize the clinical potential of NRF2 activators in VCID.
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