2011 Volume 70 Issue 5 Pages 237-243
Following traumatic brain injury (TBI), inflammatory cells including activated microglia and blood-derived leukocytes, infiltrate into the contusion, and the subsequent inflammatory response may contribute to secondary degenerative brain damage. Thus, treatment strategies designed to inhibit the secondary inflammatory response may be of value in the treatment of TBI patients. Therapeutically, the beneficial effects of minocycline, a derivative of the antibiotic tetracycline, have been shown in various models of central nervous system disorders through inhibition of the inflammatory reactions. This study investigated whether minocycline could ameliorate traumatic brain injury in a rat model. The inflammatory reaction, as represented by morphological changes in microglia and the infiltration of macrophages, persisted for 2 weeks after induction of a controlled cortical impact (CCI) injury. Thus, post CCI, the rats were treated with minocycline or vehicle intraperitoneally every 24 hours until sacrifice at 2 weeks, and the infiltration of inflammatory cells into the contusion, and the lesion size were measured.
