Effect of Progesterone Therapy on TNF-α and iNOS Gene Expression in Spinal Cord Injury Model

Spinal cord injury (SCI) as a destructive crash result in neurons degeneration. The SCI lead to the onset of biochemical and molecular cascades such as inflammation that in turn has a key role in neurodegeneration development. The previous studies demonstrated the role of TNF-α and iNOS genes in intensifying the process after SCI. As a consequence, these genes overexpression intensify the inflammation and neuron degeneration process. In the present study, 32 male Wistar rats were chased and divided into four groups of eight. The SCI were induced in three groups and another group used as a sham. The progesterone hormone used as a therapeutic agent in rats with SCI. The results showed that injection of 10 μg/kg/12h progesterone hormone reduced the TNF-α and iNOS gene expression significantly and confirmed the role of progesterone in the reduction of inflammation. Also, the numbers of intact neurons in progesterone group were higher than other groups that demonstrated the protective effects of progesterone on neuron death. The BBB test was performed and demonstrated that progesterone is an effective factor to the improvement of locomotor response. These results of the study confirmed the anti-inflammatory activity of progesterone hormone and suggested that it can be used as a therapeutic factor for SCI.