title: Efficacy of progesterone following a moderate unilateral cortical contusion injury.
abstract: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) results in an accumulation of edema and loss of brain tissue. Progesterone (PROG) has been reported to reduce edema and cortical tissue loss in a bilateral prefrontal cortex injury. This study tests the hypothesis that PROG is neuroprotective following a unilateral parietal cortical contusion injury (CCI). Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to a moderate unilateral TBI using the CCI model. Rats were given 8 mg/kg PROG 15 min post-injury with four subsequent injections (6 h, and days 1, 2, and 3). Edema was determined 3 days post-injury, while cortical tissue sparing was also evaluated at 7 days post-injury. Animals were injured and given one of four treatments: (I) vehicle; (II) low dose: 8 mg/kg PROG; (III) high dose: 16 mg/kg PROG; (IV) tapered: 8 mg/kg PROG. Animals were given an initial injection within 15 min, followed by five injections (6 h, and days 1, 2, 3, and 4). Group IV received two additional injections (4 mg/kg on day 5; 2 mg/kg on day 6). PROG failed to alter both cortical edema and tissue sparing at any dose. Failure to modify two major sequelae associated with TBI brings into question the clinical usefulness of PROG as an effective treatment for all types of brain injury.
authors.affiliation: Sanders Brown Center on Aging, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, USA.
authors.forename: Lesley K
authors.initials: LK
authors.lastname: Gilmer
authors.forename: Kelly N
authors.initials: KN
authors.lastname: Roberts
authors.forename: Stephen W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Scheff
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D001929:Brain Edema / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D019610:Cytoprotection / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D018450:Disease Progression; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D007839:Functional Laterality; D008297:Male; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D009929:Organ Size; D011374:Progesterone / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D017211:Treatment Failure; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D011374:Progesterone