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Injection could stop stroke brain damage
The technique was tested on mice
An emergency injection of the female hormone oestrogen may protect the brain from the ravages of a stroke, scientists have said.
US researchers have successfully reduced brain damage in laboratory rats induced to have a stroke.
They found that injecting a high dose of oestrogen within 30 minutes of a stroke reduced the expected brain cell death rate by 60%.
US researchers have successfully reduced brain damage in laboratory rats induced to have a stroke.
They found that injecting a high dose of oestrogen within 30 minutes of a stroke reduced the expected brain cell death rate by 60%.
Any benefits to stroke patients are a long way down the line, but we shall
be watching this work with interest  |
The Stroke Association
|
Even three hours later, oestrogen was still able to save up to 40% of the cells.
The researchers, from the University of Florida in Gainesville, carried out the study after observing that post-menopausal women under hormone replacement therapy were protected against strokes.
James Simpkins, director of the university's Center for the Neurobiology of Ageing, who has been studying the effects of oestrogen for 25 years, said: "Here we have confirmation that it has potential for treating a patient who comes into the emergency room with stroke symptoms."
But he warned that much more research was needed before anyone afflicted with stroke was treated with oestrogen.
Clinical trials would be needed to test the safety and effectiveness of the treatment, he added.
In the study, the rats were given 20 times the amount of oestrogen that would normally have been in their bodies.
The Stroke Association of England and Wales said the results were interesting but further work was needed.
It said that other studies had found oestrogen to cause thrombosis and strokes, in the same way as older-style contraceptive pills.
There was a risk of oestrogen treatment causing more harm than good, the association added.
A spokesman said: "Any benefits to stroke patients are a long way down the line, but we shall be watching this work with interest.
"We believe that, currently, the emphasis must be on stroke prevention through education and advice."
About 100,000 people a year in the UK suffer a first-time stroke.
In about 80% of cases a clot blocks the flow of blood to an area of the brain, starving neurons of oxygen and nutrients and causing them to die.
The research is reported in the journal Stroke.
The researchers, from the University of Florida in Gainesville, carried out the study after observing that post-menopausal women under hormone replacement therapy were protected against strokes.
James Simpkins, director of the university's Center for the Neurobiology of Ageing, who has been studying the effects of oestrogen for 25 years, said: "Here we have confirmation that it has potential for treating a patient who comes into the emergency room with stroke symptoms."
But he warned that much more research was needed before anyone afflicted with stroke was treated with oestrogen.
Clinical trials would be needed to test the safety and effectiveness of the treatment, he added.
In the study, the rats were given 20 times the amount of oestrogen that would normally have been in their bodies.
The Stroke Association of England and Wales said the results were interesting but further work was needed.
It said that other studies had found oestrogen to cause thrombosis and strokes, in the same way as older-style contraceptive pills.
There was a risk of oestrogen treatment causing more harm than good, the association added.
A spokesman said: "Any benefits to stroke patients are a long way down the line, but we shall be watching this work with interest.
"We believe that, currently, the emphasis must be on stroke prevention through education and advice."
About 100,000 people a year in the UK suffer a first-time stroke.
In about 80% of cases a clot blocks the flow of blood to an area of the brain, starving neurons of oxygen and nutrients and causing them to die.
The research is reported in the journal Stroke.
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