Brain May Use Clot-Busting Drug Naturally as Protection Against Stroke

ScienceDaily (May 6, 2010) — New research on the properties of the clot-busting stroke drug tPA (tissue-type plasminogen activator) suggests that tPA can act as a neuroprotectant and may form the keystone of an adaptive response to a reduction in blood flow.Scientists from Emory University School of Medicine have shown that certain parts of the brains of mice lacking the gene for tPA are more vulnerable to stroke. In addition, tPA can protect neurons in the same part of the brain from the stress of hypoxia (low oxygen). The results were recently published online in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

May 06, 2010