Activation of sphingosine 1-phosphate receptor-1 by FTY720 is neuroprotective after ischemic stroke in rats.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: FTY720 is a known sphingosine 1-phosphate receptor agonist. In the present study, we investigated the neuroprotective effect of postischemic administration of FTY720 in rats with 2 hours transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO).

METHODS: One hundred eleven male rats were randomly assigned to sham-operated and MCAO treated with vehicle, 0.25 mg/kg and 1 mg/kg of FTY720, another selective sphingosine 1-phosphate receptor-1 agonist SEW2871 (5 mg/kg), or 0.25 mg/kg of FTY720 plus a sphingosine 1-phosphate antagonist, VPC23019 (0.5 mg/kg). Drugs were injected intraperitoneally immediately after reperfusion. Neurological score and infarct volume were assessed at 24 and 72 hours after MCAO. Western blotting, immunohistochemistry, and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated uridine 5'-triphosphate-biotin nick end-labeling were conducted at 24 hours after MCAO.

RESULTS: FTY720 significantly reduced infarct volume and improved neurological score at 24 and 72 hours after MCAO compared with the vehicle group. SEW2871 showed similar neuroprotective effects to FTY720, whereas VPC 20319 abolished the neuroprotective effects of FTY720. FTY720 significantly retained Akt and extracellular signal-regulated kinase phosphorylation and Bcl-2 expression and decreased cleaved caspase-3 expression and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated uridine 5'-triphosphate-biotin nick end-labeling-positive neurons at 24 hours after MCAO. VPC23019 blocked the antiapoptotic effects of FTY720.

CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that activation of sphingosine 1-phosphate-1 by FTY720 reduces neuronal death after transient MCAO.