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Dexamethasone attenuates early expression of three molecules associated with microglia/macrophages activation following rat traumatic brain injury

Acta Neuropathologica volume 113, pages 675–682 (2007)Cite this article

Abstract

Corticosteroids have been used in the treatment of human traumatic brain injury (TBI), which is a leading cause of death and disability, but their efficiency is still a matter of debate. Dexamethasone was considered to delay post-traumatic inflammation and retard neuronal degeneration, resulting in attenuation of secondary injury following experimental TBI. In a rat TBI model, we have investigated the effects of dexamethasone on expression patterns of markers of inflammatory activation of microglia/macrophages by immunohistochemistry. Endothelial-monocyte activating polypeptide II (EMAP-II), P2X4 receptor (P2X4R) and allograft-inflammatory factor-1 (AIF-1) were reported to be associated with the activation of microglia/macrophages post central nervous system (CNS) injury and may play roles in inflammatory cascades of secondary brain damage. Dexamethasone significantly suppressed the accumulation of EMAP-II+, P2X4R+ or AIF+ cells at Day-1 and 2 post-brain-trauma but not on Days 4 and 6, which is in accordance with the reported short- but not long-term protective effects of dexamethasone in TBI. These findings indicate a rather rapid but transient anti-inflammatory effect of dexamethasone in TBI.

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Affiliations

  1. Institute of Brain Research, University of Tübingen, Calwer Str. 3, 72076, Tübingen, Germany

    Zhiyuan Zhang, Zhiren Zhang & Hermann J. Schluesener

  2. Synovo GmbH, Paul-Ehrlich-Str. 15, 72076, Tübingen, Germany

    Matthias Artelt & Michael Burnet

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  1. Zhiyuan Zhang
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  2. Zhiren Zhang
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Correspondence to Zhiyuan Zhang.

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Zhiyuan Zhang and Zhiren Zhang have equally contributed to this work.

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Zhang, Z., Zhang, Z., Artelt, M. et al. Dexamethasone attenuates early expression of three molecules associated with microglia/macrophages activation following rat traumatic brain injury. Acta Neuropathol 113, 675–682 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00401-007-0195-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00401-007-0195-8

Keywords

  • Dexamethasone
  • Traumatic brain injury
  • EMAP-II
  • P2X4R
  • AIF-1
  • microglia/macrophages