Involvement of caveolin-1 in neurovascular unit remodeling after stroke: Effects on neovascularization and astrogliosis

Complex cellular and molecular events occur in the neurovascular unit after stroke, such as blood–brain barrier (BBB) dysfunction and inflammation that contribute to neuronal death, neurological deterioration and mortality. Caveolin-1 (Cav-1) has distinct physiological functions such as caveolae formation associated with endocytosis and transcytosis as well as in signaling pathways. Cav-1 has been proposed to be involved in BBB dysfunction after brain injury; however, its precise role is poorly understood. The goal of this study was to characterize the expression and effect of Cav-1 deletion on outcome in the first week in a transient Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion stroke model. We found increased Cav-1 expression in new blood vessels in the lesion and in reactive astrocytes in the peri-lesion areas. In Cav-1 KO mice, the lesion volume was larger and the behavioral outcome worse than in WT mice. Cav-1 KO mice exhibited reduced neovascularization and modified astrogliosis, without formation of a proper glial scar around the lesion at three days post injury, coinciding with aggravated outcomes. Altogether, these results point towards a potential protective role of endogenous Cav-1 in the first days after ischemia by promoting neovascularization, astrogliosis and scar formation.