ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Stroke
Sec. Mechanisms, Models, and Biomarkers of Stroke
CXCL1: A novel therapeutic target to increase aneurysm healing after coil embolization
Provisionally accepted
Devan Patel1,2*
Melanie Martinez1Supreeya A. Saengchote1
Kartik Motwani1William S. Dodd1Zahra Hasanpour Segherlou1Haiyan Xu1
Koji Hosaka1*
Brian L Hoh1- 1University of Florida, Gainesville, United States
- 2University at Buffalo, Buffalo, United States
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Objective: CXCL1 is highly expressed in human aneurysms but its role in aneurysm healing is unknown. The objective of this study was to determine whether CXCL1 neutralization increases murine aneurysm healing post-coiling. Methods: Carotid artery aneurysms were created in female and male C57BL/6 mice. CXCL1 expression was compared between aneurysms and sham-operated carotid arteries. In a separate cohort, aneurysms were coiled with poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid)(PLGA)-coated coils. Mice received intraperitoneal injections of either CXCL1 neutralizing antibody or IgG control for 7, 14, or 21 days post-coiling. Coiled aneurysms were assessed for aneurysm healing, neutrophil infiltration, macrophage polarization, and total macrophage burden. Results: CXCL1 is highly expressed in murine carotid artery aneurysms. CXCL1 neutralization significantly increased aneurysm healing compared to IgG when administered for 14 days (females: 66.4% vs. 51.2%, p=0.03; males: 69.8% vs. 47.0%, p=0.004) and 21 days (females: 71.9% vs. 44.3%, p=0.01; males: 67.8% vs. 61.6%, p=0.02), but not when given for only 7 days (females: 48.1% vs. 49.4%; males: 52.3% vs. 50.4%). 14 days of CXCL1 neutralization decreased neutrophil infiltration (females: 0.43 vs. 5.21 cells/high power field(hpf), p=0.04; males: 0.00 vs. 4.42 cells/hpf, p=0.04) and increased reparative M2 macrophages (females: 2.25 vs. 0.79 cells/hpf, p=0.03; males: 2.00 vs. 0.27 cells/hpf, p=0.02). Conclusions: CXCL1 neutralization for 14 or 21 days improved aneurysm healing in female and male mice. 14 days of CXCL1 neutralization decreased neutrophil infiltration and increased M2 macrophage polarization. Systemic CXCL1 neutralization is a promising potential therapy to improve aneurysm healing by modulating the inflammatory response after coiling.
Keywords: aneurysm healing, Coiling, CXCL1, Intracranial Aneurysm, Macrophages, Neutrophils
Received: 14 Nov 2025; Accepted: 19 Jan 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Patel, Martinez, Saengchote, Motwani, Dodd, Hasanpour Segherlou, Xu, Hosaka and Hoh. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Devan Patel
Koji Hosaka
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