The Effects of Lornoxicam on Neuroprotection Following Diffuse Traumatic Brain Injury in Rats

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 Fast 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.