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In vivo characterization of spontaneous microhemorrhage formation in mice with cerebral amyloid angiopathy.

ABSTRACT: The pathophysiology of microhemorrhages in the context of cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) remains poorly understood. Here we used in vivo two-photon microscopy in aged APP/PS1 mice with mild-to-moderate CAA to assess the formation of microhemorrhages and their spatial relationship with vascular Aβ depositions in the surrounding microvascular network. Mice with chronic cranial windows were intravenously injected with fluorescent dextran to visualize the vessels and a fluorescently labeled anti-fibrin antibody to visualize microhemorrhages. Focal vessel irradiations resulted in extravascular fibrin-positive clots at individual rupture sites that remained visible for weeks. Spontaneous extravascular fibrin-positive clots were more often observed in 19-month-old transgenic APP/PS1 mice compared to their wild-type littermate controls (p = 0.039), after heparin administration. In the transgenic mice, these spontaneous leakage sites frequently occurred at arteriolar segments without CAA at bifurcations or vessel bends. These findings suggest that the presence of vascular Aβ per se does not directly predispose vessels to leak, but that complex flow dynamics within CAA-affected vascular networks likely play a role. Our in vivo approach for the detection of individual spontaneous leakage sites may be used in longitudinal studies aimed to assess structural and functional alterations at the single-vessel level leading up to microhemorrhage formation.

SUBMITTER: van Veluw SJ

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7747164 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:Background and purposeCerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) is a common cause of recurrent intracerebral hemorrhage in the elderly. Previous studies have shown that CAA induces inflammation and expression of matrix metalloproteinase-2 and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (gelatinases) in amyloid-laden vessels. Here, we inhibited both using minocycline in CAA mouse models to determine whether spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage could be reduced.MethodsTg2576 (n=16) and 5xFAD/ApoE4 knockin mice (n=16), aged 17 and 12 months, respectively, were treated with minocycline (50 mg/kg, IP) or saline every other day for 2 months. Brains were extracted and stained with X-34 (to quantify amyloid), Perls' blue (to quantify hemorrhage), and immunostained to examined β-amyloid peptide load, gliosis (glial fibrillary acidic protein [GFAP], Iba-1), and vascular markers of blood-brain barrier integrity (zonula occludins-1 [ZO-1] and collagen IV). Brain extracts were used to quantify mRNA for a variety of inflammatory genes.ResultsMinocycline treatment significantly reduced hemorrhage frequency in the brains of Tg2576 and 5xFAD/ApoE4 mice relative to the saline-treated mice, without affecting CAA load. Gliosis (GFAP and Iba-1 immunostaining), gelatinase activity, and expression of a variety of inflammatory genes (matrix metalloproteinase-9, NOX4, CD45, S-100b, and Iba-1) were also significantly reduced. Higher levels of microvascular tight junction and basal lamina proteins were found in the brains of minocycline-treated Tg2576 mice relative to saline-treated controls.ConclusionsMinocycline reduced gliosis, inflammatory gene expression, gelatinase activity, and spontaneous hemorrhage in 2 different mouse models of CAA, supporting the importance of matrix metalloproteinase-related and inflammatory pathways in intracerebral hemorrhage pathogenesis. As a Food and Drug Administration-approved drug, minocycline might be considered for clinical trials to test efficacy in preventing CAA-related intracerebral hemorrhage.

Project description:Cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) involves cerebrovascular amyloid deposition and is classified into several types according to the amyloid protein involved. Of these, sporadic amyloid β-protein (Aβ)-type CAA is most commonly found in older individuals and in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Cerebrovascular Aβ deposits accompany functional and pathological changes in cerebral blood vessels (CAA-associated vasculopathies). CAA-associated vasculopathies lead to development of hemorrhagic lesions [lobar intracerebral macrohemorrhage, cortical microhemorrhage, and cortical superficial siderosis (cSS)/focal convexity subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH)], ischemic lesions (cortical infarction and ischemic changes of the white matter), and encephalopathies that include subacute leukoencephalopathy caused by CAA-associated inflammation/angiitis. Thus, CAA is related to dementia, stroke, and encephalopathies. Recent advances in diagnostic procedures, particularly neuroimaging, have enabled us to establish a clinical diagnosis of CAA without brain biopsies. Sensitive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) methods, such as gradient-echo T2(*) imaging and susceptibility-weighted imaging, are useful for detecting cortical microhemorrhages and cSS. Amyloid imaging with amyloid-binding positron emission tomography (PET) ligands, such as Pittsburgh Compound B, can detect CAA, although they cannot discriminate vascular from parenchymal amyloid deposits. In addition, cerebrospinal fluid markers may be useful, including levels of Aβ40 for CAA and anti-Aβ antibody for CAA-related inflammation. Moreover, cSS is closely associated with transient focal neurological episodes (TFNE). CAA-related inflammation/angiitis shares pathophysiology with amyloid-related imaging abnormalities (ARIA) induced by Aβ immunotherapies in AD patients. This article reviews CAA and CAA-related disorders with respect to their epidemiology, pathology, pathophysiology, clinical features, biomarkers, diagnosis, treatment, risk factors, and future perspectives.

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In vivo characterization of spontaneous microhemorrhage formation in mice with cerebral amyloid angiopathy.

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