2015 Volume 30 Issue 4 Pages 317-326
In this review, we describe novel targeting diagnoses and therapies for acute cerebral ischemic stroke with introducing the present medical situation of this disease as well as our recent research results using a polymeric MRI contrast agent. Disabilities (e.g., paralyses and dysbasia) are very serious problems of acute cerebral ischemic stroke. At present, against this disease, the only efficacious therapy is intravenous injection of recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) that dissolves clots in occluded cerebral blood vessels. Suppression of intracerebral hemorrhage, that is the most serious adverse effect of the therapy, is strongly wanted. This rt-PA-related hemorrhage is believed to result from biological activities of the rt-PA in the cerebral space after rt-PA has extravazated from the bloodstream into this space, therefore we intend to identify hemorrhage-risky area using a macromolecular MRI contrast agent because this contrast agent may depict the degree of rt-PA's extravazation. We found this macromolecular contrast agent accumulated rapidly at the disease site in a short period. Therefore, we believe high feasibility of a novel diagnosis method of the hemorrhage-risky area using this macromolecular system.In the final part, we propose a novel pathology based on material translocation between the bloodstream and disease organ/tissue. In this pathology, we can analyze relationships between disease states and the translocation behaviors of materials in various sizes. Developments of the novel pathology not only reveal unknown living body's mechanisms, but also can contribute to creation of new medical diagnoses and therapies.
