Abstract P752: Neuroprotection by Remote Ischemic Conditioning in the Setting of Acute Ischemic Stroke: A Preclinical Two-Centre International Study

Background and Purpose: Currently, reperfusion is the only existing treatment strategy for patients with acute ischemic stroke. However, reperfusion may cause further brain damage. One of the feasible therapies targeting reperfusion injury is remote ischemic conditioning (RIC). The main objective of this study was to test the neuroprotective effects of RIC in a rat model of acute ischemic stroke in a randomized and blinded two-centre MRI study with a priori sample size calculation . Methods: Eighty male Sprague Dawley rats underwent 90-min middle cerebral artery occlusion. Multiparametric MRI was performed per-occlusion to ascertain focal cerebral ischemia (inclusion criteria) and to control interindividual variability in the analysis. RIC was started 10 min before reperfusion, and consisted of 4 cycles of 5-min left hind limb ischemia. The primary endpoint of the study was infarct size measured on T2-weighted MRI at 24h, corrected for edema, and expressed as percentage of the area-at-risk of infarction . Secondary endpoints were hemispheric space-modifying edema, infarct growth between per-occlusion and 24h MRI, and neurofunctional outcome measured by neuroscores. Results: Two animals died in each group. In total, 47 rats were included in the analysis after applying the pre-defined inclusion criteria (23 in control group and 24 in RIC group). Infarct size was significantly reduced in the RIC group (mean, interquartile range: 19% [8% ; 32%] vs control: 40% [17% ; 59%], p=0.028). This infarct-limiting effect was still statistically significant after adjustment for apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) lesion size in multivariate analysis. In the subgroup of rats with ADC lesion > 100 mm3, infarct size reduced from 58% [40%; 66%] to 32% [27%; 40%], p=0.004. In line with this result, RIC significantly improved neuroscores (6 [3 ; 8] vs control: 9 [7 ; 11], p=0.032). The other secondary endpoints were not statistically different between groups. Conclusions: RIC in the setting of acute stroke in rats is safe, reduces infarct size and improves functional recovery in a two-centre international study using translational imaging endpoints.