Intracisternal basic fibroblast growth factor enhances functional recovery ...
1. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1997 Jul 22;94(15):8179-84.
Intracisternal basic fibroblast growth factor enhances functional recovery and
up-regulates the expression of a molecular marker of neuronal sprouting following
focal cerebral infarction.
Kawamata T, Dietrich WD, Schallert T, Gotts JE, Cocke RR, Benowitz LI,
Finklestein SP.
CNS Growth Factor Research Laboratory, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts
General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA.
Focal cerebral infarction (stroke) due to unilateral occlusion of the middle
cerebral artery in mature rats produces deficits in sensorimotor function of the
contralateral limbs that recover partially over time.
We found that biweekly intracisternal injection of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF; 0.5
microg/injection), a potent neurotrophic polypeptide, markedly enhanced recovery
of sensorimotor function of the contralateral limbs during the first month after
stroke without apparent adverse side effects. Immunostaining for
growth-associated protein 43 (GAP-43), a molecular marker of axonal sprouting,
showed a selective increase in GAP-43 immunoreactivity in the intact sensorimotor
cortex contralateral to cerebral infarcts following bFGF treatment.
These results show that bFGF treatment can enhance functional recovery after stroke, and that
the mechanism may include stimulation of neuronal sprouting in the intact brain.
PMCID: PMC21577
PMID: 9223335 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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