Progesterone prevents traumatic brain injury-induced intestinal nuclear factor kappa B activation and proinflammatory cytokines expression in male rats.
We have previously shown that traumatic brain injury (TBI) can induce an upregulation of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kappaB) and proinflammatory cytokines in the gut, which play an important role in the pathogenesis of acute gut mucosal injury mediated by inflammation. In this work, we investigated whether progesterone administration modulated intestinal NF-kappaB activity and proinflammatory cytokines expression after TBI in male rats. As a result, we found that administration of progesterone following TBI could decrease NF-kappaB binding activity, NF-kappaB p65 protein expression, and concentrations of interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) in the gut. TBI-induced damages of gut structure were ameliorated after progesterone injections. The results of the present study suggest that the therapeutic benefit of post-TBI progesterone injections might be due to its inhibitory effects on intestinal NF-kappaB activation and proinflammatory cytokines expression.
Chen
Gang
G
Department of Neurosurgery, Jinling Hospital, School of Medicine, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province 210002, China.
Shi
Jinxin
J
Ding
Yasuo
Y
Yin
Hongxia
H
Hang
Chunhua
C
D000818:Animals; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism; D016207:Cytokines / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D007249:Inflammation; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D016328:NF-kappa B / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D052002:NF-kappa B p50 Subunit / Q000494:pharmacology; D011374:Progesterone / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011372:Progestins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D051996:Transcription Factor RelA / Q000494:pharmacology
D016207:Cytokines; D016328:NF-kappa B; D052002:NF-kappa B p50 Subunit; D011372:Progestins; D051996:Transcription Factor RelA; D011374:Progesterone