Protective effect of telmisartan on neurovascular unit and inflammasome in stroke-resistant spontaneously hypertensive rats

Objectives: Hypertension is a crucial risk factor for both stroke and dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD). We inspected the effect of telmisartan on the neurovascular unit (NVU) and related inflammatory responses in spontaneously hypertensive rat stroke resistant (SHR-SR) by observing the components of NVU such as N-acetyl glucosamine oligomer (NAGO), collagen IV, astrocytes, and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), as well as inflammasome NOD-like receptors family protein 3 (NLRP3). Methods: In the present study, we examined the effect of a highly selective angiotensin type 1 (AT-1) antagonist of angiotensin 2 receptor with high lipid solubility, telmisartan, on NVU and related inflammatory responses in SHR-SR with a low dose (0·3 mg/kg/day) only for improving metabolic syndrome, and a high dose (3 mg/kg/day) for improving both metabolic syndrome and SHR-SR hypertension. Results: Compared to normotensive Wistar rats, long-lasting hypertension in SHR-SR disrupted NVU by changing immunohistological...