Effects of a selective CD11b/CD18 antagonist and recombinant human tissue plasminogen activator treatment alone and in combination in a rat embolic model of stroke

Background and Purpose - We evaluated the neuroprotective effect of UK-279,276 ( also referred to as recombinant neutrophil inhibitory factor), a selective CD11b/CD18 antagonist, in combination with thrombolytic therapy on focal cerebral ischemia. Methods - Male Wistar rats (n = 88) were subjected to embolic middle cerebral artery occlusion. Animals were randomly assigned to the following groups ( n = 11 in each group): vehicle treatment alone at 2 or 4 hours, UK-279,276 treatment alone at 2 or 4 hours, recombinant human tissue plasminogen activator (rhtPA) treatment alone at 2 or 4 hours, or the combination of UK-279,276 and rhtPA at 2 or 4 hours. Infarct volume, neurological function, hemorrhagic transformation, neutrophil accumulation, and parenchymal fibrin deposition were measured 7 days after middle cerebral artery occlusion. Results - Treatment with UK-279,276 significantly ( P < 0.05) improved neurological severity scores, an index of neurological functional deficit, but had no effect on infarct volume compared with vehicle-treated animals. Treatment with rhtPA alone at 2 but not 4 hours significantly ( P < 0.05) reduced infarct volume and improved neurological function compared with vehicle-treated animals. Combination treatment with UK-279,276 and rhtPA at 2 or 4 hours significantly ( P < 0.01) reduced infarct volume and enhanced recovery of neurological function compared with control. Neutrophil accumulation and fibrin deposition in the brain parenchyma of combination-treated rats at 2 and 4 hours after stroke were significantly reduced ( P < 0.05) compared with corresponding vehicle-treated control groups. The neuroprotective effect of the combined treatments was superior to the additive effects from each treatment of rhtPA or UK-279,276 alone. Conclusions - These data suggest that the combination treatment with UK-279,276 and rhtPA may extend the window of thrombolytic therapy for the acute treatment of stroke.