Network-Based Approach to Identify Potential Targets and Drugs that Promote Neuroprotection and Neurorepair in Acute Ischemic Stroke

Acute ischemic stroke (AIS) accounts for more than 80% of the approximately 610,000 new stroke cases worldwide every year. Both ischemia and reperfusion can cause death, damage, and functional changes of affected nerve cells, and these alterations can result in high rates of disability and mortality. Therefore, therapies aimed at increasing neuroprotection and neurorepair would make significant contributions to AIS management. However, with regard to AIS therapies, there is currently a large gap between experimental achievements and practical clinical solutions (EC-GAP-AIS). Here, by integrating curated disease-gene associations and interactome network known to be related to AIS, we investigated the molecular network mechanisms of multi-module structures underlying AIS, which might be relevant to the time frame subtypes of AIS. In addition, the EC-GAP-AIS phenomenon was confirmed and elucidated by the shortest path lengths and the inconsistencies in the molecular functionalities and overlapping pathways between AIS-related genes and drug targets. Furthermore, we identified 23 potential targets (e.g. ADORA3, which is involved in the regulation of cellular reprogramming and the extracellular matrix) and 46 candidate drugs (e.g. felbamate, methylphenobarbital and memantine) that may have value for the treatment of AIS.