Neuroprotective effects of progesterone in acute brain trauma and its physiological mechanism

Abstract

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the leading cause of death and neurological disability in young adults worldwide. This work aims to review the role of progesterone in traumatic brain injury and the usefulness as a possible treatment. We searched pubmed database (2000-2017) for articles containing “progesterone and brain traumatic injury”. Basic science studies have advanced knowledge of the mechanisms of secondary brain injury, creating prospects for the medical and pharmacological management of TBI. Although several comparative studies evaluated both the efficacy and safety of several groups of drugs, in which, corticosteroids, tranexamic acid, β receptor antagonists, erythropoiesis-stimulating agents, reductase inhibitors include hydroxymethyl glutaryl-CoA inhibitors (statins), among others. Several studies even evaluated the role of progesterone in the treatment of TBI, which is providing growing evidence about its potential neuroprotective mechanisms during the acute phase of trauma. Despite recent advances in the field of management of TBI care in the emergency units, intensive care and the multiple trials for more than 20 years to find useful pharmacological treatments, most of these efforts failed in pre-clinical stages (II and III).