Acute, not delayed, treatment of aflibercept enhances vessel density in post-ischemic brain and promotes long-term stroke recovery in obese mice.

ABSTRACT: Vascular comorbidities complicate stroke pathophysiology, worsen outcomes, and delay recovery. Obesity, in particular, significantly increases stroke-induced brain edema, a fatal complication during infarction, which leads to worsened long-term recovery. Treatment of aflibercept, a VEGF-trap, has been shown to reduce stroke-induced brain edema and attenuate acute neurological deficits in obese mice. However, the effect of aflibercept on long-term stroke recovery is unknown. We found that treating obese stroke mice with aflibercept at 3 hours displayed significantly improved long-term motor and cognitive function. Notably, VEGFR2 expression was upregulated at 3- and 7-days post-stroke, indicating sustained VEGF signaling in obese subjects. Unlike acute treatment of aflibercept at 3 hours po

SUBMITTER: Ju H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12048399 | biostudies-literature | 2025 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature