Progress of adjuvant treatment with tissue plasminogen activator beyond time window in ischemic stroke / 解剖学报

Tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) thrombolysis remains the gold standard for the treatment of ischemic stroke. However, the time window of tPA treatment and the fatal side effects caused by application beyond the time window limit clinical application of tPA. In order to address the limitations, combined use of tPA with other drug or non-drug interventional approaches has been proposed and some combination therapies have been experimentally validated to decrease the complications beyond the time window, especially hemorrhagic transformation (HT). The mechanisms by which the combined drugs act include protecting the blood-brain barrier, enhancing angiogenesis, protecting cerebral blood vessels, etc. Non-drug interventions include stem cell transplantation and gas therapy with multiple biological effects. The combination of tPA and the above treatments intends to alleviate the side effects of delayed tPA treatment and the neurological deficits and behavioral impairment induced by stroke. Therefore, adjuvant therapy is an innovative form of treatment which addresses the limiting factors of tPA therapy and may prolong the time window of ischemic stroke.