Abstract
Chronic cerebral hypoperfusion (CCH) is postulated to underlie multiple pathophysiological processes in vascular dementia (VaD), including extracellular matrix dysfunction. While several extracellular matrix proteins, namely cyclophilin A (CypA), extracellular matrix metalloproteinase inducer (EMMPRIN) and gelatinases (matrix metalloproteinases, MMP-2 and -9) have been investigated in acute stroke, their involvement in CCH and VaD remains unclear. In this study, CypA-EMMPRIN-gelatinase proteins were analysed in a clinical cohort of 36 aged, cognitively unimpaired subjects and 48 VaD patients, as well as in a bilateral carotid artery stenosis mouse model of CCH. Lower CypA and higher EMMPRIN levels were found in both VaD serum and CCH mouse brain. Furthermore, gelatinases were differentially altered in CCH mice and VaD patients, with significant MMP-2 increase in CCH brain and serum, whilst serum MMP-9 was elevated in VaD but reduced in CCH, suggesting complex CypA-EMMPRIN-gelatinase regulatory mechanisms. Interestingly, subjects with cortical infarcts had higher serum MMP-2, while white matter hyperintensities, cortical infarcts and lacunes were associated with higher serum MMP-9. Taken together, our data indicate that perturbations of CypA-EMMPRIN signalling may be associated with gelatinase-mediated vascular sequelae, highlighting the potential utility of the CypA-EMMPRIN-gelatinase pathway as clinical biomarkers and therapeutic targets in VaD.