title: Glatiramer acetate does not protect from acute ischemic stroke in mice.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The role of the immune system in the pathophysiology of acute ischemic stroke is increasingly recognized. However, targeted treatment strategies to modulate immunological pathways in stroke are still lacking. Glatiramer acetate is a multifaceted immunomodulator approved for the treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. Experimental studies suggest that glatiramer acetate might also work in other neuroinflammatory or neurodegenerative diseases apart from multiple sclerosis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We evaluated the efficacy of glatiramer acetate in a mouse model of brain ischemia/reperfusion injury. 60 min of transient middle cerebral artery occlusion was induced in male C57Bl/6 mice. Pretreatment with glatiramer acetate (3.5 mg/kg bodyweight) 30 min before the induction of stroke did not reduce lesion volumes or improve functional outcome on day 1.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Glatiramer acetate failed to protect from acute ischemic stroke in our hands. Further studies are needed to assess the true therapeutic potential of glatiramer acetate and related immunomodulators in brain ischemia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University Hospital Würzburg, Josef-Schneider-Str. 11, 97080 Würzburg, Germany.|Institute for Clinical Epidemiology and Biometry and Comprehensive Heart Failure Centre, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kraft
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Münster, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, Gebäude A1, Westturm, Ebene 05 48149 Münster, Germany.
authors.forename: Kerstin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Göbel
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Münster, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, Gebäude A1, Westturm, Ebene 05 48149 Münster, Germany.|Institute of Physiology - Neuropathophysiology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany.
authors.forename: Sven G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Meuth
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University Hospital Würzburg, Josef-Schneider-Str. 11, 97080 Würzburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kleinschnitz