The development of non-invasive pharmacological
therapies to prevent the progression and
rupture of
intracranial aneurysms (IAs) is an important field of research. This study attempts to reveal the role of
BP-1-102, an oral bioavailable
signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) inhibitor, in IA. We first constructed an IA mouse model by injecting
elastase into the cerebrospinal fluid with simultaneous induction of
hypertension by
deoxycorticosterone acetate (
DOCA) implantation. The results showed that the proportion of IA
rupture in mice after
BP-1-102 administration was significantly reduced, and the survival time was significantly extended. Further research showed that compared with the vehicle group, the proportion of macrophages infiltrated at the
aneurysm and the expression of pro-inflammatory
cytokines in the
BP-1-102 administration group were significantly reduced. The contractile phenotype vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) specific markers, SM22α and αSMA, were significantly upregulated in the
BP-1-102 group. Furthermore, we found that
BP-1-102 inhibited the expression of critical
proteins in the
nuclear factor kappa-B and
Janus kinase 2/STAT3 signalling pathways. Our study shows that
BP-1-102 significantly decreases the
rupture of IA, reduces the inflammatory responses and modulates the phenotype of VSMCs, suggesting that
BP-1-102 could be utilised as a potential intervention
drug for IA.