Connectivity map identifies luteolin as a treatment option of ischemic stroke by inhibiting MMP9 and activation of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway

Ischemic stroke: Compound in fruit and vegetables may offer benefit A metabolite commonly found in fruit and vegetables may provide protection against brain damage after a stroke, according to researchers in China. Lei Zhang and co-workers at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangdong employed the Connectivity Map (CMap), a tool for analyzing genome-wide data and identifying connections between diseases, genes, and potential treatments. They confirmed that the metabolite luteolin may benefit patients who have suffered ischemic stroke, which is caused by a blocked artery to the brain. Using an existing database comprising genetic details of stroke patients and controls, the team found that a major signaling pathway is inactivated and an enzyme called MMP9 is increased in stroke victims. Studies in cultured human brain cells and rats showed that luteolin can inhibit MMP9 and reactivate the signaling pathway.