Journal of neurotrauma
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Journal of neurotrauma · Sep 2013
Dose- and Time-Dependent Neuroprotective Effects of Pycnogenol(®) following Traumatic Brain Injury.
After traumatic brain injury (TBI), both primary and secondary injury cascades are initiated, leading to neuronal death and cognitive dysfunction. We have previously shown that the combinational bioflavonoid, Pycnogenol (PYC), alters some secondary injury cascades and protects synaptic proteins when administered immediately following trauma. The purpose of the present study was to explore further the beneficial effects of PYC and to test whether it can be used in a more clinically relevant fashion. ⋯ PYC treatment significantly protected both the cortex and hippocampus from injury-related declines in pre- and post-synaptic proteins. These results demonstrate that a single i.v. treatment of PYC is neuroprotective after TBI with a therapeutic window of at least 4 h post trauma. The natural bioflavonoid PYC may provide a possible therapeutic intervention in neurotrauma.