PhD defence Laura Ponsaerts
Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Annelies Bronckaers, Dr. Tim Vanmierlo
Keywords: Ischemic stroke, PDE , Neuroinflammation, Neutrophils
"Targeted PDE4 inhibition to counteract neuroinflammation: a stroke of genius"
Stroke remains a leading cause of death and disability worldwide. Ischemic stroke is caused by the blockage of a major cerebral artery, leading to oxygen and nutrient deficiency in the surrounding brain tissue and an inflammatory reaction in the brain ultimately leading to cell death. As part of this inflammatory reaction, several cells are attracted to the brain such as neutrophils. Current treatment strategies aim to remove the blockage of the artery, however many patients cannot benefit from this type of treatment. There remains an urgent need for novel treatment options for ischemic stroke, which focus on reducing the neuroinflammatory reaction. This research focusses on PDE4 inhibition as potential therapeutic strategy for lowering inflammation following ischemic stroke. This study shows an anti-inflammatory effect of PDE4B inhibition on neutrophils. This thesis also provides data on the potential of prophylactic PDE4 and PDE4B inhibition in recurrent stroke.
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