Pericyte Biomarkers for Ischemic Stroke: Potential and Prospects

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Biomarker Discovery
• Vascular Biology

Background:

• Ischemic stroke (IS) presents a significant mortality risk.
• Early diagnosis and personalized treatment of IS rely on multiplexed detection of core biomarkers.
• The role of pericytes as potential IS biomarkers requires investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the potential of pericytes as biomarkers for ischemic stroke.
• To investigate the role of ASK1 signaling in pericyte response to ischemia.
• To develop a novel detection method for IS biomarkers.

Main Methods:

• In vitro ischemia models using pericytes.
• ASK1-shRNA transfection to inhibit ASK1 expression.
• ELISA assays on patient plasma samples.
• Development of a fluorescence sensor for dual biomarker detection.

Main Results:

• Ischemia upregulated inflammatory and apoptotic factors (e.g., MMP9) in pericytes.
• ASK1 inhibition reduced inflammatory markers, enhanced pericyte contraction and migration, and preserved blood-brain barrier integrity.
• Plasma concentrations of PDGFRβ and MMP9 correlated with NIHSS scores.
• A sensitive and stable fluorescence sensor for PDGFRβ and MMP9 detection was developed.

Conclusions:

• Pericytes exhibit significant changes in response to ischemia, indicating their potential as IS biomarkers.
• Targeting ASK1 signaling in pericytes may offer therapeutic benefits for IS.
• PDGFRβ and MMP9 are promising biomarkers for early IS diagnosis and prognosis prediction using the developed fluorescence sensor technology.