Huiqin Li: Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210008, China.
Xiang Cao: Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210008, China.
Xinya Gu: Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital Clinical College of Xuzhou Medical University, Nanjing, 210008, China.
Mengqi Dong: Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital Clinical College of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210008, China.
Lili Huang: Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210008, China.
Chenglu Mao: Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210008, China.
Shengnan Xia: Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210008, China.
Haiyan Yang: Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210008, China.
Xinyu Bao: Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210008, China.
Yongbo Yang: Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210008, China. yangyongbo2000@163.com.
Yun Xu: Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210008, China. xuyun20042001@aliyun.com.
Moyamoya disease (MMD) is a chronic occlusive cerebrovascular disease with the development of a network of abnormal vessels. Immune inflammation is associated with the occurrence and development of MMD. However, the mechanisms underlying the formation of the abnormal vascular network remain unclear. Twenty-eight patients with MMD, 26 ischemic stroke patients, and 26 unrelated healthy volunteers were enrolled in this study The data showed that the levels of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) were higher in MMD patients than in healthy controls (P <0.01), and GM-CSF was mainly from Th1 and Th17 cells in MMD. We found that increased GM-CSF drove monocytes to secrete a series of cytokines associated with angiogenesis, inflammation, and chemotaxis. In summary, our findings demonstrate for the first time the important involvement of GM-CSF in MMD and that GM-CSF is an important factor in the formation of abnormal vascular networks in MMD.
