Title:Minocycline Repurposing in Critical Illness: Focus on Stroke
Volume: 13
Issue: 18
Author(s): T. Vivian Liao, Christy C. Forehand, David C. Hess and Susan C. Fagan
Affiliation:
Keywords:
Critical illness, ischemia, minocycline, neuroprotection, stroke, tetracycline.
Abstract: Stroke is a devastating disease associated with high morbidity and mortality. Despite the approved indication of
systemic thrombolytic therapy in the United States for the acute management of ischemic stroke, its use is limited given a
strict eligibility criteria and a risk for hemorrhagic transformation as a feared adverse effect. Many agents have been studied
without success for neuroprotection in patients with stroke to reduce vascular injury and improve long-term functional
outcomes. Minocycline is a tetracycline antibiotic that shows promise for its neuroprotective effects in multiple animal
models and three human trials. It affects multiple pathways to reduce apoptosis, neuroinflammation, infarct size, and vascular
injury. The aim of this review is to discuss current evidence for minocycline from pre-clinical and early clinical trials
and its potential role in neuroprotection in patients with acute ischemic stroke.
