RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the mechanism of protective effect of estrogen on cerebral damage in ischemic stroke by measuring the estrogen(2) (E(2)), blood lipid, interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta), nitric oxide (NO), and also assessment according to national institute of health stroke scale (NIHSS) score, in order to improve the treatment of cerebral infarction. METHODS: Forty male patients, in whom cerebral infarction due to thrombosis of middle cerebral artery was confirmed by CT or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), were divided into two groups: E(2) therapy (20 cases) and routine therapy (20 cases). Routine therapy was the same in both groups, except 2 mg of E(2) was orally given (2 times a day) to the E(2) therapy group. E(2), testosterone (Ts), total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), IL-1 beta, NO, and NIHSS score were measured in each patient at time points of 0, 3, 7, 14 and 21 days. RESULTS: In E(2) group, HDL-C and E(2) were increased significantly, and TC and LDL-C were decreased significantly from 3 days on after treatment, and the changes were obviously more marked than that of routine therapy group (all P<0.05). The changes in TG and Ts were not obvious. NO, IL-1 beta were increased significantly (both P<0.05), and NIHSS score was decreased in routine group form 14 days on after treatment. NO and IL-beta in E(2) group were lower than those in routine therapy group from 3 days on, and the NIHSS score was significantly lower on 14 days and 21 days in E(2) group (both P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The protective effect of E(2) is obvious. It may be due to the results of modulation of blood fat, anti-inflammation and modulation of NO production by the action of E(2). Low dose and short time therapy of E(2) may be beneficial to the patient.
