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Indian-origin researcher finds novel method to treat brain haemorrhages
The study could lead to better treatment and prevent of brain haemorrhages.
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Dr. Rachita Sumbria / Keck Graduate Institute
A new factor in the development of brain hemorrhages was uncovered in a pioneering study co-authored by Dr. Rachita Sumbria, an associate professor in the School of Pharmacy at Chapman University.
Published online in the Journal of Neuroinflammation, the study shows how aged red blood cells stall in the brain capillaries of mice, resulting in cerebral microhemorrhages.
It proved that microhemorrhages in the brain could be caused by an increase in interactions between old red blood cells and brain capillaries, thus isolating blood vessel injuries as the only cause of brain hemorrhages. This finding opens the door to possible therapeutic targets for the treatment and prevention of microhemorrhages and also enhances knowledge of the mechanisms underlying them.
Researchers discovered that when brain immune cells were activated, there was an increase in the stalling of red blood cells in brain capillaries. This caused microhemorrhages even when brain capillaries were not ruptured.
Sumbria, emphasized that the work is the result of studies that began employing cell culture systems ten years ago. She explained, “We showed for the first time that brain endothelial cells are capable of engulfing aged/stressed iron-rich erythrocytes, a process known as brain endothelial erythrophagocytosis, and the recent collaborative work shows this process in mice.”
She added, “Our findings show that age-related changes to erythrocytes, and how erythrocytes interact with the brain capillaries, are important underlying factors contributing to brain microhemorrhaging. This represents a novel mechanism distinct from the traditional view of a blood vessel rupture as the cause of brain microhemorrhages.”
A Ph.D. candidate at Chapman University, Rudy Chang served as co-first author and collaborated with UCI's Drs. Sumbria and Mark Fisher to lay the groundwork for the present study. The research team, led by UCI researchers Drs. Mark Fisher and Xiangmin Xu, injected aged red blood cells into mice, tracking their interactions with brain capillaries in real-time and conducting postmortem imaging.
The study, funded by the National Institute on Aging and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, marked an advancement in understanding brain microhemorrhages and offering innovative approach for their treatment.
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