IMM-H004 therapy for permanent focal ischemic cerebral injury and cardiopulmonary complications via CKLF1/CCR4-mediated inflammation pathway

OBJECTIVE To investigate the effects of IMM-H004 on permanent focal cerebral ischemia injury and associated cardiopulmonary complications,further elucidating the molecular mechanisms.METHODS The effects of IMM-H004 were investigated in wild-type(WT) and CKLF1-/-rats.The effects of IMM-H004 on ischemic stroke injury and its cardiopulmonary complications were determined using 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride(TTC) staining,behavior tests,magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)scans,enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA),Nissl staining,and histo-pathological examination.Multiple molecular experiments including immunohistological staining,immunofluorescence staining,quantitative RT-PCR,Western blotting,and co-immunoprecipitation assays were used to elucidate the underlying mechanisms.RESULTS IMM-H004 treatment provided significant protection against ischemic stroke-induced brain injury and associated cardiopulmonary complications,through CKLF1-depedent-anti-inflammation pathway in rats.IMM-H004 downregulated the amount of CKLF1 and disturbed the combination between CKLF1 and C-C chemokine receptor type 4,suppressing the inflammatory response and protecting the damaged organs in ischemic setting.CONCLUSION This preclinical study established efficacy of IMM-H004 as a potential therapeutic medicine for ischemic stroke and associated cardiopulmonary complications.The protective effects of IMM-H004 may due to its specific mechanism through CKLF1.These results support further efforts to develop IMM-H004 for human clinical trials in acute cerebral ischemia,especially for patients who are not suitable for reperfusion therapy.