A drug already approved for use in humans to treat pulmonary hypertension now shows promise in an animal model for protecting against brain damage and neurological impairment following stroke, University of Florida researchers report this week in the journal Stroke.
The research team from the Evelyn F. and William L. McKnight Brain Institute of the University of Florida found that the drug selexipag, which has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension, yielded marked improvement in neurological function following ischemic stroke in a study of aged rats. Ischemic stroke is the most common type of stroke and occurs when a blood clot blocks a vessel carrying blood to the brain.