ROCKs as immunomodulators of stroke.

INTRODUCTION: Stroke is the third leading cause of death and a major cause of long-term disability in the adult population. Growing evidence suggests that inflammation may play an important role in the evolution of stroke. Because Rho-associated coiled-coil containing kinases (ROCKs) are important mediators of inflammation, they may contribute to stroke and stroke recovery. AREAS COVERED: The pathophysiological role of ROCKs in mediating inflammation at different phases of stroke, and the therapeutic opportunities for stroke prevention and stroke treatment with ROCK inhibitors will be discussed. EXPERT OPINION: Inflammation is a double-edged sword during the evolution of stroke. Immunomodulation might provide a novel therapeutic approach for stroke prevention and stroke treatment. ROCK plays an important role in mediating the inflammatory response following vascular injury as well as platelet activation and thrombus formation. ROCK inhibitors have been shown to be beneficial in stroke prevention, acute neuroprotection and chronic stroke recovery by affecting inflammatory-mediated platelet and endothelial function, smooth muscle contraction and neuronal regeneration. Thus, ROCK-mediated inflammation could be a potential therapeutic target for stroke prevention and stroke treatment. However, the mechanism by which ROCKs regulate the inflammatory response is unclear, and the role of the two ROCK isoforms in stroke and stroke recovery remains to be determined.