Tauroursodeoxycholic acid reduces brain lesion volume and cortical edema in a rat model of Traumatic brain injury.

BACKGROUND

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) continues to be a major cause of death and disability worldwide. Effective treatment options are limited, and randomized clinical data has been futile.

OBJECTIVE

In this study, we assessed the efficacy of tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA) in treating TBI using a controlled cortical impact injury model in male Wistar rats.

METHODS

Animals were randomized into two experimental groups: 1) TBI with sham treatment (Control, n = 12) and 2) TBI treated with intravenous infusion of 300 mg/kg TUDCA (TUDCA-treated group, n = 10) 30 min post-injury. Anxiety levels and magnetic resonance imaging studies were performed on days 1 and 7 post-injury. Animals were euthanized on day 7 for histopathological assessments.

RESULTS

On days 1 and 7, we observed a smaller brain lesion volume in the TUDCA-treated group compared with the Control group and greater cytotoxic edema on day 1 in the Control group. Elevated plus maze revealed a lower anxiety index for the TUDCA-treated group on day 7.

CONCLUSION

Our study showed that TBI rats treated with TUDCA at a hyperacute stage had a statistically significant reduction in lesion volume and improved levels of anxiety. However, a dose-response relationship and ideal therapeutic window still need to be determined. Future studies should consider a multiday therapy paradigm to identify the optimum intervention frequency in a mixed-gender.