Improving functional recovery of the brain and heart after traumatic brain injury

A new study in the peer-reviewed Journal of Neurotrauma has shown that Angiotensin II type 2 receptor (AT2R) activation improves neurological and cardiac deficiencies caused by traumatic brain injury (TBI) in mice. AT2R activation is known to exert protective roles in the brain and heart. Click here to read the article now.

TBI of any severity is associated with a high risk of developing long-term neurological and cardiovascular complications. 

Based on previous studies, which have reported that activation of AT2R in stroke confers neuroprotection, Rongcai Jiang, PhD, from Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, and coauthors, hypothesized that AT2R may have an impact on both the brain and heart after TBI. 

The results indicated that treatment with an AT2R agonist (C21) 24 hours after TBI alleviated blood-brain barrier leakage and brain swelling, inhibited the expression of proinflammatory cytokines in the brain and heart, and benefited cardiac function. 

“Delayed administration of C21 improves neurological and cardiac recovery after TBI,” stated the investigators. “Our findings suggest that activation of AT2R may serve as a feasible strategy to benefit the long-term prognosis of TBI patients.”

“This is an impressive preclinical study. The authors did a lot of things right from a transparency and rigor perspective: They began administering the therapeutic at a clinically realistic time point- 24 hours after injury. They randomly assigned mice to groups and evaluated them in a blinded fashion. They accounted for all the animals.  I'm excited to see where this line of research leads,” says David L. Brody, MD, PhD, Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Neurotrauma.  

About the Journal
Journal of Neurotrauma is an authoritative peer-reviewed journal published 24 times per year in print and online that focuses on the latest advances in the clinical and laboratory investigation of traumatic brain and spinal cord injury. Emphasis is on the basic pathobiology of injury to the nervous system, and the papers and reviews evaluate preclinical and clinical trials targeted at improving the early management and long-term care and recovery of patients with traumatic brain injury. Journal of Neurotrauma is the official journal of the National Neurotrauma Society and the International Neurotrauma Society. Complete tables of content and a sample issue may be viewed on the Journal of Neurotrauma website. 

About the Publisher
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. is a global media company dedicated to creating, curating, and delivering impactful peer-reviewed research and authoritative content services to advance the fields of biotechnology and the life sciences, specialized clinical medicine, public health and policy, and technology and engineering. For further information, please visit the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. website.