Fasudil, a ROCK inhibitor, preserves limb integrity in a mouse model of unilateral critical limb ischemia: Possible interplay of inflammatory and angiogenic signaling pathways.

Unlabelled: Peripheral arterial diseases (PAD) had a great attention owing to devastating consequences of disability and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Yet, current therapeutic options are limited to surgical revascularization with no effective pharmacotherapy available. Excessive activity of Rho-associated coiled-coil protein kinase (ROCK) is implicated with several vascular diseases, rendering ROCK inhibition as a potential therapeutic strategy for patients suffering vascular disorders.

Aim: The current study was dedicated to investigating the vascular protective potential of Fasudil, a ROCK inhibitor, on an experimentally induced unilateral critical limb ischemia (CLI) model in mice and demonstrated the possible underlying mechanisms.

Methods: Unilateral CLI was induced by ligation and excision of femoral artery followed by daily i.p. injection of Fasudil (10 mg/kg or 25 mg/kg) up to two weeks post-surgery.

Key Findings: Mice underwent CLI showed decreased antioxidant capacity and increased inflammatory signal, evident by elevation of ERK1/2 in both serum and GC muscles that coincided with increases in VEGFA, HIF-1α and CD34 cells of GC muscles. CLI resulted in structural damage of GC muscle fibers, with marked apoptosis, declined proliferation and deteriorated peripheral limb function. Treatment with Fasudil restored antioxidant capacity and attenuated VEGFA, HIF-1α, CD34 cells and inflammatory markers in ischemic limbs. Furthermore, Fasudil preserved histological integrity of ischemic GC muscles, with amelioration of apoptosis, preserved proliferation rate and improvement in peripheral limb function.

Significance: Fasudil could protect against experimentally induced unilateral CLI, in a dose-dependent manner, which could pave the way for future clinical application of Fasudil in patients suffering PAD.