Mechanisms of acute neurovascular protection with AT1 blockade after stroke: effect of premorbid hypertension

Stroke is a leading cause of adult disability worldwide.
Improving stroke outcome requires an orchestrated interplay that involves up
regulation of pro-survival pathways and a concomitant suppression of
pro-apoptotic mediators. In this investigation, we assessed the involvement of
eNOS in the AT1 blocker-mediated protective and pro-recovery effects in animals
with hypertension. we also evaluated the effect of acute eNOS inhibition in hypertensive
animals. 
Candesartan induced an early protective effect that was
of eNOS inhibition (50% improvement in
motor function). However, the protective effect of candesartan was associated
with about five fold up regulation of BDNF
expression and about three fold reduction in ER stress
markers, in an eNOS dependent manner.