Myeloperoxidase propagates damage and is a potential therapeutic target for subacute stroke

Few effective treatment options exist for stroke beyond the hyperacute period. Radical generation and myeloperoxidase (MPO) have been implicated in stroke. We investigated whether pharmacologic reduction or gene deletion of this highly oxidative enzyme reduces infarct propagation and improves outcome in the transient middle cerebral artery occlusion mouse model (MCAO). Mice were treated with 4-aminobenzoic acid hydrazide (ABAH), a specific irreversible MPO inhibitor. Three treatment regimens were used: (1) daily throughout the 21-day observational period, (2) during the acute stage (first 24 hours), or (3) during the subacute stage (daily starting on day 2). We found elevated MPO activity in ipsilateral brain 3 to 21 days after ischemia. 4-Aminobenzoic acid hydrazide reduced enzyme activity by 30% to 40% and final lesion volume by 60% (P < 0.01). The MPO-knockout (KO) mice subjected to MCAO also showed a similar reduction in the final lesion volume (P < 0.01). The ABAH treatment or MPO-KO mice also improved neurobehavioral outcome (P < 0.001) and survival (P=0.01), but ABAH had no additional beneficial effects in MPO-KO mice, confirming specificity of ABAH. Interestingly, inhibiting MPO activity during the subacute stage recapitulated most of the therapeutic benefit of continuous MPO inhibition, suggesting that MPO-targeted therapies could be useful when given after 24 hours of stroke onset.