ABSTRACT
Hemorrhagic transformation (HT) is a common complication of ischemic stroke, especially after thrombolytic therapy, which is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Thrombolysis with tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) increases the rate of HT by as much as 10-fold, and the mortality by about 60%. The patients who are eligible for t-PA treatment are still between 3.4% and 5.2% of all patients with acute ischemic stroke because of the narrow therapeutic time window. Due to the unknown mechanism and therapeutic target of HT, there are no effective drugs to decrease the incidence of HT. The main mechanism of HT is disruption of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) integrity and neurovascular homeostasis, involving a variety of molecular signaling pathways. In animal and clinical studies, combining therapeutic agents with t-PA, which may help to minimize BBB perturbations, reduces the incidence of HT and increases the safety of thrombolytic therapy. This article is prepared to review the mechanisms, targets and therapeutic drugs of t-PA induced HT in recent years to provide a reference to the basic research and drug development of HT.