Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2015 Feb;35(2):186-7.
doi: 10.1038/jcbfm.2014.212. Epub 2014 Dec 3.

The role of the spleen in ischemic stroke

Keith R Pennypacker  1 , Halina Offner  2
Affiliations
Review

The role of the spleen in ischemic stroke

Keith R Pennypacker et al. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab. 2015 Feb.

Abstract

This opinion piece highlights the scientific literature reporting that the peripheral immune response to ischemic stroke originates from the spleen. Removal of the spleen not only reduces stroke-induced neurodegeneration but also cellular degeneration in the body's other tissues when exposed to ischemic conditions.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Kim E, Yang J, Beltran CD, Cho S. Role of spleen-derived monocytes/macrophages in acute ischemic brain injury. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab. 2014;34:1411–1419. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Offner H, Subramanian S, Parker SM, Afentoulis ME, Vandenbark AA, Hurn PD. Experimental stroke induces massive, rapid activation of the peripheral immune system. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab. 2006;26:654–665. - PubMed
    1. Offner H, Subramanian S, Parker SM, Wang C, Afentoulis ME, Lewis A, et al. Splenic atrophy in experimental stroke is accompanied by increased regulatory T cells and circulating macrophages. J Immunol. 2006;176:6523–6531. - PubMed
    1. Seifert HA, Leonardo CC, Hall AA, Rowe DD, Collier LA, Benkovic SA, et al. The spleen contributes to stroke induced neurodegeneration through interferon gamma signaling. Metab Brain Dis. 2012;27:131–141. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Vendrame M, Gemma C, Pennypacker KR, Bickford PC, Davis Sanberg C, Sanberg PR, et al. Cord blood rescues stroke-induced changes in splenocyte phenotype and function. Exp Neurol. 2006;199:191–200. - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources