Estrogen and progesterone attenuate CD4-positive immune cell traffic to the penumbra region of rat’s ischemic stroke brain

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Anatomical Sciences Research Center, Institute for Basic Sciences, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran

2 Physiology Research Center, Institute for Basic Sciences, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran

3 Department of Medical Basic Sciences, MMS.C., Islamic Azad University, Mashhad, Iran

10.22038/ijbms.2025.84415.18275

Abstract

Objective(s): Stroke is an acute cerebrovascular disease with a high incidence, high disability rate, and high mortality. Stroke damages the integrity of the blood-brain barrier. Immune cells are concerned with multiple facets of ischemic stroke; peripheral immune cells, including neutrophils, T cells, B cells, and macrophages, infiltrate the ischemic brain tissue and are essential in regulating the progression of ischemic brain damage. The current study investigated the effects of estrogen and progesterone (PROG) hormones (E/P) on the expression of CD4+ and Gene expression of IL-1β (interleukin-1β) in MCAO rat models.
Materials and Methods: Stroke was induced in male adult rats by transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO). Rats were collected 24 hr after reperfusion, and then the doses of estrogen and progesterone were administered two hours after tMCAO. The expression of CD4+ using the immunohistochemistry (IHC) method and gene expression of IL-1β using the Real-time PCR in the ischemic penumbra of the male rat’s brain cortex were determined, and infarct volume was determined 24 hr after ischemia using TTC staining.
Results: CD4+ and Gene expression of IL-1β were significantly increased in the Ischemia group compared to the control group. Also, E/P administration reduced infarct volume and CD4+ and gene expression of IL-1β compared to the Ischemia group.
Conclusion: The results of the present study showed that induction of tMCAO altered the expression of CD4+ and gene expression of IL-1β in the ischemic penumbra. Moreover, E/P treatment could reverse these effects of stroke.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

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Iranian Journal of Basic Medical Sciences
Volume 28, Issue 9
September 2025
Pages 1254-1260

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