Estrogen and progesterone attenuate CD۴-positive immune cell traffic to the penumbra region of rat’s ischemic stroke brain

Objective(s): Stroke is an acute cerebrovascular disease with a high incidence, high disability rate, and high mortality. Stroke damages the integrity of the blood-brain barrier. Immune cells are concerned with multiple facets of ischemic stroke; peripheral immune cells, including neutrophils, T cells, B cells, and macrophages, infiltrate the ischemic brain tissue and are essential in regulating the progression of ischemic brain damage. The current study investigated the effects of estrogen and progesterone (PROG) hormones (E/P) on the expression of CD۴+ and Gene expression of IL-۱β (interleukin-۱β) in MCAO rat models.Materials and Methods: Stroke was induced in male adult rats by transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO). Rats were collected ۲۴ hr after reperfusion, and then the doses of estrogen and progesterone were administered two hours after tMCAO. The expression of CD۴+ using the immunohistochemistry (IHC) method and gene expression of IL-۱β using the Real-time PCR in the ischemic penumbra of the male rat’s brain cortex were determined, and infarct volume was determined ۲۴ hr after ischemia using TTC staining.Results: CD۴+ and Gene expression of IL-۱β were significantly increased in the Ischemia group compared to the control group. Also, E/P administration reduced infarct volume and CD۴+ and gene expression of IL-۱β compared to the Ischemia group.Conclusion: The results of the present study showed that induction of tMCAO altered the expression of CD۴+ and gene expression of IL-۱β in the ischemic penumbra. Moreover, E/P treatment could reverse these effects of stroke.

کلیدواژه ها:

CD۴+ ، Estrogen ، IL-۱β ، Progesterone ، Stroke ، tMCAO