Progesterone treatment attenuates brain edema following contusion injury in male and female rats.

To assess the effectiveness of progesterone as a treatment for edema following traumatic brain injury, male and female rats were injected with progesterone or the oil vehicle over a 3-day period following a cortical contusion injury. Oil-treated rats showed significant localized edema as measured by the wet weight/dry weight tissue punch technique. Progesterone-treated rats, both male and female, showed marked attenuation, or in some cases, absence of this post-injury edema. We conclude that progesterone shows promise as a treatment for edema following traumatic brain injury.