Evaluating the translational potential of progesterone treatment following transient cerebral ischaemia in male mice

BACKGROUND: Progesterone is neuroprotective in numerous preclinical CNS injury models including cerebral ischaemia. The aim of this study was two-fold; firstly, we aimed to determine whether progesterone delivery via osmotic mini-pump would confer neuroprotective effects and whether such neuroprotection could be produced in co-morbid animals. RESULTS: Animals underwent transient middle cerebral artery occlusion. At the onset of reperfusion, mice were injected intraperitoneally with progesterone (8 mg/kg in dimethylsulfoxide). Adult and aged C57 Bl/6 mice were dosed additionally with subcutaneous infusion (1.0 μl/h of a 50 mg/ml progesterone solution) via implanted osmotic minipumps. Mice were allowed to survive for up to 7 days post-ischaemia and assessed for general well-being (mass loss and survival), neurological score, foot fault and t-maze performance. Progesterone reduced neurological deficit [F((1,2)) = 5.38, P = 0.027] and number of contralateral foot-faults [F((1,2)) = 7.36, P = 0.0108] in adult, but not aged animals, following ischaemia. In hypertensive animals, progesterone treatment lowered neurological deficit [F((1,6)) = 18.31, P = 0.0001], reduced contralateral/ipsilateral alternation ratio % [F((1,2)) = 17.05, P = 0.0006] and time taken to complete trials [F((1,2)) = 15.92, P = 0.0009] for t-maze. CONCLUSION: Post-ischemic progesterone administration via mini-pump delivery is effective in conferring functional improvement in a transient MCAO model in adult mice. Preliminary data suggests such a treatment regimen was not effective in producing a protective effect in aged mice. However, in hypertensive mice, who received post-ischemic progesterone intraperitoneally at the onset of reperfusion had better functional outcomes than control hypertensive mice.