[Gene therapy for ischemic stroke].

Administering an excess of neurotrophic factors (NTFs) protects the sensitive brain tissues from the injury. We devised an adenovirus vector containing the GDNF gene (Ad-GDNF) on the basis of the strong protective effect exerted by NTF proteins against ischemic brain damage and the considerable transfer of a foreign gene into the ischemic brain. We also examined the possible protective effect of the Ad-GDNF transfer in rats after a transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) was performed. The treatment of the animals with Ad-GDNF before or 90 min after the transient MCAO effectively reduced the infarct volume and area without affecting the regional cerebral blood flow (CBF) as compared to that with the vehicle alone or Ad-LacZ animal groups. The suggests that NTFs exert strong protective effect against ischemic brain damage.