Cell Communication and Signaling (Apr 2024)

A promising frontier: targeting NETs for stroke treatment breakthroughs

  • Huijie Fang,
  • Yunfei Bo,
  • Zhongfei Hao,
  • Ge Mang,
  • Jiaqi Jin,
  • Hongjun Wang

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12964-024-01563-4
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 22, no. 1
pp. 1 – 19

Abstract

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Abstract Stroke is a prevalent global acute cerebrovascular condition, with ischaemic stroke being the most frequently occurring type. After a stroke, neutrophils accumulate in the brain and subsequently generate and release neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs). The accumulation of NETs exacerbates the impairment of the blood‒brain barrier (BBB), hampers neovascularization, induces notable neurological deficits, worsens the prognosis of stroke patients, and can facilitate the occurrence of t-PA-induced cerebral haemorrhage subsequent to ischaemic stroke. Alternative approaches to pharmacological thrombolysis or endovascular thrombectomy are being explored, and targeting NETs is a promising treatment that warrants further investigation.

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