Expression of CD80 and CD86 in the brain of Lewis rats after induction of stroke

Introduction: Cerebral ischemia induces brain tissue destruction. While the cascades leading to cellular death have been well investigated, the immune response following cerebral stroke has not been investigated in detail to date. This immune response is characterised by infiltration of lymphocytes into the brain lesion. Costimulatory molecules expressed on antigen presenting cells and their receptors on T-cells are a major factor in initiation and termination of immune responses. To elucidate the mechanisms that regulate this immune response and prevent the development of autoimmune diseases we undertook an imm…