Effects of edaravone dexborneol on functional outcome and inflammatory response in patients with acute ischemic stroke

Abstract Background Edaravone dexborneol has been reported as an effective neuroprotective agent in the treatment of acute ischemic stroke (AIS). This study aimed at investigating the impact of edaravone dexborneol on functional outcomes and systematic inflammatory response in AIS patient. Methods All participants were recruited from the AISRNA study (registered 21/11/2019, NCT04175691 [ClinicalTrials.gov]) between January 2022 and December 2022. The AIS patients were divided into two groups based on whether they received the treatment of edaravone dexborneol (37.5 mg/12 hours, IV) within 48 h after stroke onset. Inflammatory response was determined by detecting levels of cytokines (interleukin-2 [IL-2], IL-4, IL-5, IL-8, IL-6, IL-10, IL-12p70, IL-17, tumor necrosis factor-α [TNF-α], interferon-γ [IFN-γ], IFN-α, and IL-1β) within 14 days after stroke onset. Results Eighty-five AIS patients were included from the AISRNA study. Patients treated with edaravone dexborneol showed a significantly higher proportion of modified Rankin Scale score < 2 compared to those who did not receive this treatment (70.7% versus 47.8%; P = 0.031). Furthermore, individuals receiving edaravone dexborneol injection exhibited lower expression levels of interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and IL-17, along with higher levels of IL-4 and IL-10 expression during the acute phase of ischemic stroke ( P < 0.05). These trends were not observed for IL-2, IL-5, IL-8, IL-12p70, tumor necrosis factor-α, interferon-γ [IFN-γ], and IFN-α ( P > 0.05). Conclusions Treatment with edaravone dexborneol resulted in a favorable functional outcome at 90 days post-stroke onset when compared to patients without this intervention; it also suppressed proinflammatory factors expression while increasing anti-inflammatory factors levels. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04175691. Registered November 21, 2019, https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04175691 .