Abstract
Inflammatory processes are activated following ischemic strokes and lead to increased tissue damage for weeks following the ischemic insult, but there are no approved therapies that target this inflammation-induced secondary injury. Here, we report that SynB1-ELP-p50i, a novel protein inhibitor of the nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) inflammatory cascade bound to drug carrier elastin-like polypeptide (ELP), is able to enter both neurons and microglia, cross the blood-brain barrier, localize exclusively in the ischemic core and penumbra in Wistar-Kyoto and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs), and reduce infarct volume in male SHRs. Additionally, in male SHRs, SynB1-ELP-p50i treatment improves survival for 14 days following stroke with no effects of toxicity or peripheral organ dysfunction. These results show high potential for ELP-delivered biologics for therapy of ischemic stroke and other central nervous system disorders and further support targeting inflammation in ischemic stroke.