Molecular Biology of Atherosclerotic Ischemic Strokes

• Published in: International journal of molecular sciences 2020-12, Vol.21 (24), p.9372
• Main Authors: Tuttolomondo, Antonino, Puleo, Maria Grazia, Velardo, Maria Chiara, Corpora, Francesca, Daidone, Mario, Pinto, Antonio
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Apoptosis; Arteriosclerosis; Atherosclerosis; Atherosclerosis - complications; Atherosclerosis - genetics; Atherosclerosis - immunology; Biomolecules; Blood-Brain Barrier - metabolism; Brain damage; Brain injury; Cytokines; Diabetes; Diabetes mellitus; Dyslipidemia; Hemorrhage; Humans; Hypertension; Immune system; Immunity, Innate; Impairment; Inflammasomes - genetics; Inflammasomes - metabolism; Inflammation; Insulin; Ischemia; Ischemic Stroke - etiology; Ischemic Stroke - genetics; Ischemic Stroke - immunology; Medical prognosis; MicroRNAs - genetics; MicroRNAs - metabolism; Molecular biology; Mortality; Neurological complications; Prognosis; Proteins; Review; Risk analysis; Risk factors; Stroke; Traumatic brain injury
• ISSN: 1422-0067; 1661-6596; 1422-0067
• DOI: 10.3390/ijms21249372

Among the causes of global death and disability, ischemic stroke (also known as cerebral ischemia) plays a pivotal role, by determining the highest number of worldwide mortality, behind cardiomyopathies, affecting 30 million people. The etiopathogenetic burden of a cerebrovascular accident could be brain ischemia (~80%) or intracranial hemorrhage (~20%). The most common site when ischemia occurs is the one is perfused by middle cerebral arteries. Worse prognosis and disablement consequent to brain damage occur in elderly patients or affected by neurological impairment, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and diabetes. Since, in the coming years, estimates predict an exponential increase of people who have diabetes, the disease mentioned above constitutes together with stroke a severe social and economic burden. In diabetic patients after an ischemic stroke, an exorbitant activation of inflammatory molecular pathways and ongoing inflammation is responsible for more severe brain injury and impairment, promoting the advancement of ischemic stroke and diabetes. Considering that the ominous prognosis of ischemic brain damage could by partially clarified by way of already known risk factors the auspice would be modifying poor outcome in the post-stroke phase detecting novel biomolecules associated with poor prognosis and targeting them for revolutionary therapeutic strategies.