title: Progesterone attenuates early brain injury after subarachnoid hemorrhage in rats.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Although the neuroprotective effects of progesterone against early brain injury (EBI) after trauma have been demonstrated in several studies, whether progesterone reduces EBI after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) remains unknown. In this study, we explored the effect of progesterone on cell apoptosis, stability of the blood-brain barrier (BBB), brain edema, and mortality in male Sprague-Dawley rats subjected to subarachnoid hemorrhage-induced EBI by endovascular perforation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Rats (n=66) were randomly assigned to sham, SAH+vehicle, and SAH+progesterone groups. Progesterone (16 mg/kg) or an equal volume of vehicle was administered at 1h, 6h and 12h after SAH. Mortality within 24h, neurological scores, brain edema, Evans blue dye extravasation, cell apoptosis, and the expression of caspase-3 and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 were assayed after 24h of SAH.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Progesterone treatment significantly reduced mortality, brain edema, Evans blue dye extravasation, cell apoptosis, expression of caspase-3 and MMP-9, and improved neurological scores compared with the vehicle group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Progesterone may reduce EBI after SAH by inhibiting cell apoptosis and stabilizing the BBB.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, NO. 88 Jiefang road, Hangzhou 310009, China.
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.forename: Qiang
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Jingyin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Cheng
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Chi
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gu
authors.forename: Gao
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D001812:Blood-Brain Barrier / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D001929:Brain Edema / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D053148:Caspase 3 / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D020780:Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 / Q000378:metabolism; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010539:Permeability; D011374:Progesterone / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013345:Subarachnoid Hemorrhage / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology
chemical_list: D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D011374:Progesterone; D053148:Caspase 3; D020780:Matrix Metalloproteinase 9