Impact of Age and Sex on α-Syn (α-Synuclein) Knockdown-Mediated Poststroke Recovery.

Background And Purpose: Increased expression of α-Syn (α-Synuclein) is known to mediate secondary brain damage after stroke. We presently studied if α-Syn knockdown can protect ischemic brain irrespective of sex and age.

Methods: Adult and aged male and female mice were subjected to transient middle cerebral artery occlusion. α-Syn small interfering RNA (siRNA) was administered intravenous at 30 minutes or 3 hour reperfusion. Poststroke motor deficits were evaluated between day 1 and 7 and infarct volume was measured at day 7 of reperfusion.

Results: α-Syn knockdown significantly decreased poststroke brain damage and improved poststroke motor function recovery in adult and aged mice of both sexes. However, the window of therapeutic opportunity for α-Syn siRNA is very limited.

Conclusions: α-Syn plays a critical role in ischemic brain damage and preventing α-Syn protein expression early after stroke minimizes poststroke brain damage leading to better functional outcomes irrespective of age and sex.