The Synthetic Steroid Tibolone Decreases Reactive Gliosis and Neuronal Death in the Cerebral Cortex of Female Mice After a Stab Wound Injury

In this study, we have assessed the effect of tibolone on reactive gliosis in the cerebral cortex after a stab wound brain injury in ovariectomized adult female mice. By 7  days after brain injury, tibolone reduced the number of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) immunoreactive astrocytes, the number of ionized calcium binding adaptor molecule 1 (Iba1) immunoreactive microglia, and the number of microglial cells with a reactive phenotype in comparison to vehicle- injected animals. These effects on gliosis were associated with a reduction in neuronal loss in the proximity to the wound, suggesting that tibolone exerts beneficial homeostatic actions in the cerebral cortex after an acute brain injury.
Source: Molecular Neurobiology - Category: Neurology Source Type: research