Treating Brain Injury with Progesterone
Select an area in the image at right or from the list below to learn more.
What is Progesterone?
Progesterone is a developmental hormone that protects the fetus during gestation. Women have much more progesterone than men. Progesterone levels are very high during pregnancy.
Progesterone is found in the brain, as well as in many other parts of the body.
Cholesterol to Progesterone
In the human body, Progesterone is synthesized from Cholesterol. Beginning as Cholesterol, it undergoes multiple stages of oxydation to form pregnenolone, which is then further oxidized and catalyzed into progesterone.
What is a Closed Head Brain Injury?
The brain can move and stretch within the skull and so concussion or a blow to the head may produce both local and more diffuse damage. Damage can continue to evolve and become worse long after the initial impact.
Progesterone Can Repair Brain Injury
Progesterone reduces brain swelling and edema that can kill additional nerve cell tissue, as well as the size of the lesion. It helps to rebuild damaged nerve circuits, and assists injured neurons in survival and regrowth.
Progesterone works equally well in males and females. It is now being tested in world-wide clinical trials.
Stroke Treatment Showing Promise
Only one treatment for stroke is currently available: a clot-buster called tPA, but it has to be given very soon after stroke onset (3-4 hours) or it is not effective. Only 3-5% of stroke victims get tPA because delayed treatment with tPA can cause a hemorrhage.
Progesterone in animal models of cerebral stroke is showing very promising results.
In Rats, Progesterone Decreases Injury Volume After The Middle Cerebral Arteries Are Blocked
Progesterone in animal models of cerebral stroke is showing very promising results.
Above - The slide on the left is brain tissue untreated after stroke. The brain tissue shown on the right received 5 days of treatment with progesterone beginning one hour after injury.
Before Progesterone Can Be Used For Stroke Patients We Need To Know:
Will tPA combined with progesterone increase or decrease the risk of bleeding and hemorrhagic conversion?
Will progesterone help save nerve cells in combination with tPA therapy, or will it decrease tPA's effectiveness?
We Need to Learn More About Progesterone as a Treatment for Kids With Brain Injury
Of the 1.4 million TBIs in the U.S. each year, 400,000 involve children. About 3,000 children under 18 years old die. 29,000 require hospitalization. No effective treatment is available.
As a developmental hormone, progesterone may work differently in kids.
To Do: Preliminary research, clinical trials.
Brain Injury Is Extremely Complex - A Complex Treatment May Be The Way To Go
Progesterone has many different effects in the body, which may be why it is showing benefit in brain injury treatment.
Its benefits may be enhanced by combination with other therapeutic agents. Our lab is currently studying progesterone and vitamin D.
To Do:
New formulations of progesterone that are easier to store, transport, and administer in battlefield and emergency conditions.
Labs Around The World Are Investigating Progesterone Treatments For:
- Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Peripheral nervous system and spinal cord injury
- Diabetic retinopathy