Protein Kinase C Isozymes in Stroke

Stroke is a devastating neurologic disease and a leading cause of death and disability worldwide. Thrombolytic agents have been used to re-establish circulation in thromboembolic stroke, but their utility is limited by hemorrhage and reperfusion injury. Studies with experimental stroke models, mouse genetics, and selective peptide inhibitors and activators have implicated protein kinase C (PKC) ɛ in ischemic preconditioning and PKCδ and γ in tissue injury. PKCδ, resident both in neutrophils and in the brain, appears particularly essential for reperfusion injury, and recent work using PKCδ-specific peptide inhibitors suggests that PKCδ inhibitors could prove useful in attenuating reperfusion injury and improving outcome following thrombolysis.