Astrocytic aquaporin 4 subcellular translocation as a therapeutic target for cytotoxic edema in ischemic stroke

Brain edema is a common feature of several brain diseases(e.g.,stroke,traumatic brain injury,hydrocephalus,brain cancer,and brain infections).Brain edema leads to increased intracranial pressure and worsens outcomes in ischemic stroke patients.Conventional treatments to control brain edema,thus reducing intracranial pressure include different osmotherapeutics,hyperventilation,tromethamine,hypothermia,and barbiturate coma.However,level 1 evidence of efficacy is lacking for these treatments,with some being harmful rather than beneficial(Bardutzky and Schwab,2007).It has been proposed aquaporin 4(AQP4)can be a novel drug target for treating brain edema(Vandebroek and Yasui,2020).