Aim: In this study, the effects of lornoxicam on the prevention of secondary brain injury via the apoptotic pathway were studied in a rat model of head injury.
Material and methods: Thirty adult male Wistar albino rats were anesthetized, and experimental closed head trauma was induced by allowing a 450 g weight to fall two meters onto a metallic disk fixed to the intact skull. After head injury, the rats were randomly divided into two groups: Group I (n=15) rats were administered 2 mL saline intraperitoneally (controls); Group II (n=15) rats were administered 2 mL 1.3 mg kg-1 lornoxicam intraperitoneally. Brain tissue samples were divided into two pieces by interhemispheric incision for biochemical and histological analysis.
Results: TUNEL positivity was seen in neuroglia cells of the brain cortex in both groups. While the immunoreactivities of caspase 8, 9 and Fas/ Fas ligand were similar in both groups, the immunoreactivity of caspase 3 was greater in Group I than Group II. MDA was significantly lower in Group II than in Group I (p < 0.05). The decrease in SOD level was higher in Group I than Group II.
Conclusion: Lornoxicam did not prevent apoptosis in this rat model of brain trauma but causes a decrease.