Abstract 174: Roles of Pericyte NADPH Oxidase 4 in Acute Brain Ischemia

Pericytes exist abundantly in the brain and compose the neurovascular unit. It has been elucidated that pericytes play a key role in the formation and maintenance of the blood-brain barrier (BBB), thus being considered to play significant roles in brain ischemia. The NADPH oxidase (Nox) family proteins are a major source of reactive oxygen species (ROS). We have reported previously that Nox4 is abundantly expressed in pericytes among the Nox family. Our goal was to elucidate the roles of Nox4 in brain pericytes during acute brain ischemia. We confirmed by quantitative PCR that Nox4 was abundantly expressed in human cultured brain microvascular pericytes (HBMPC) and was significantly upregulated by hypoxia. We produced a mouse middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) stroke model and examined the expression of Nox4 in the brain. Immunofluorescent double labeling demonstrated that Nox4 expression was upregulated in microvessels particularly in peri-infarct areas and was co-stained with PDGFRβ, a pericyte mar...