PHA-543613 preserves blood-brain barrier integrity after intracerebral hemorrhage in mice.

Background and Purpose-Blood-brain barrier disruption and consequent vasogenic edema formation codetermine the clinical course of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). This study examined the effect of PHA-543613, a novel alpha 7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor agonist, on blood-brain barrier preservation after ICH. Methods-Male CD-1 mice, subjected to intrastriatal blood infusion, received PHA-543613 alone or in combination with alpha 7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor antagonist methyllycaconitine or phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase inhibitor wortmannin. Results-PHA-543613 alone, but not in combination with methyllycaconitine or wortmannin, inhibited glycogen synthase kinase-3 beta, thus, stabilizing beta-catenin and tight junction proteins, which was paralleled by improved blood-brain barrier stability and ameliorated neurofunctional deficits in ICH animals. Conclusions-PHA-543613 preserved blood-brain barrier integrity after ICH, possibly through phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-Akt-induced inhibition of glycogen synthase kinase-3 beta and beta-catenin stabilization.