Anti-inflammatory effects of progesterone in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated BV-2 microglia

Female sex is associated with improved outcome in experimental brain injury models, such as traumatic brain injury, ischemic stroke, and intracerebral hemorrhage. This implies female gonadal steroids may be neuroprotective. A mechanism for this may involve modulation of post-injury neuroinflammation. As the resident immunomodulatory cells in central nervous system, microglia are activated during acute brain injury and produce inflammatory mediators which contribute to secondary injury including proinflammatory cytokines, and nitric oxide. In this study, the authors examined the anti-inflammatory effects of progesterone on lipopolysaccharide-stimulated BV-2 microglia, characterizing progesterone's suppression of microglial inflammatory mediator production.