New thrombolytic strategy providing neuroprotection in experimental ischemic stroke: MMP10 alone or in combination with tissue-type plasminogen activator.

Early reperfusion with tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA) is an effective therapeutic strategy to treat acute ischemic stroke, but only 1/3 of tPA-treated patients recover and are free from disability. tPA has also shown neurotoxicity in experimental models of cerebral ischemia. Considering that MMP-10 improves stroke injury, we have examined the therapeutic and protective effect of MMP10 and tPA/MMP10 as clot-dissolving and neuroprotective agent in an experimental model of ischemic stroke and studied in vitro the molecular pathways involved in MMP10-mediated effects.