The beneficial roles of apelin-13/APJ system in cerebral ischemia: Pathogenesis and therapeutic strategies

Jiabin Li; Zhang Chen; Jingyu Chen; Yue Yu

doi:10.3389/fphar.2022.903151

The beneficial roles of apelin-13/APJ system in cerebral ischemia: Pathogenesis and therapeutic strategies

Front Pharmacol. 2022 Aug 10:13:903151. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2022.903151. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Jiabin Li¹, Zhang Chen², Jingyu Chen³, Yue Yu⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pharmacy, The Children's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health, Hangzhou, China.
² Department of Tuina, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China.
³ Department of Critical Care Medicine, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China.
⁴ Department of Critical Care Medicine, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, People's Hospital of Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, China.

Abstract

The incidence of cerebral ischemia has increased in the past decades, and the high fatality and disability rates seriously affect human health. Apelin is a bioactive peptide and the ligand of the G protein-coupled receptor APJ. Both are ubiquitously expressed in the peripheral and central nervous systems, and regulate various physiological and pathological process in the cardiovascular, nervous and endocrine systems. Apelin-13 is one of the subtypes of apelin, and the apelin-13/APJ signaling pathway protects against cerebral ischemia by promoting angiogenesis, inhibiting excitotoxicity and stabilizing atherosclerotic plaques. In this review, we have discussed the role of apelin-13 in the regulation of cerebral ischemia and the underlying mechanisms, along with the therapeutic potential of the apelin-13/APJ signaling pathway in cerebral ischemia.

Keywords: APJ; angiogenesis; apelin-13; atherosclerotic plaque; cerebral ischemia; excitotoxicity; pathway.

Publication types

Review