A Dutch-German medical research team led by Harald Schmidt from Maastricht University, Netherlands, and Christoph Kleinschnitz, University of... » More

A Dutch-German medical research team led by Harald Schmidt from Maastricht University, Netherlands, and Christoph Kleinschnitz, University of Würzburg, Germany, in cooperation with Helmholz Zentrum München, has discovered that an enzyme is responsible for the death of nerve cells after a stroke. The enzyme NOX4 produces hydrogen peroxide, a caustic molecule also used in bleaching agents. Inhibition of NOX4 in mice by an experimental new drug dramatically reduces brain damage and preserves brain functions, even when given hours after the stroke. These findings are published in the Public Library of Science Biology.

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