Angiopoietin-1/Tie-2 signal after focal traumatic brain injury is potentiated by BQ788, an ET receptor antagonist, in the mouse cerebrum: Involvement in recovery of blood-brain barrier function.

Angiopoietin-1, an angiogenic factor, stabilizes brain microvessels through Tie-2 receptor tyrosine kinase. In traumatic brain injury, blood-brain barrier (BBB) disruption is an aggravating factor that induces brain edema and neuroinflammation. We previously showed that BQ788, an endothelin ET receptor antagonist, promoted recovery of BBB function after lateral fluid percussion injury (FPI) in mice.