Fenofibrate, a peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha agonist, exerts neuroprotective effects in traumatic brain injury.

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARalpha) has been demonstrated to reduce inflammation in various inflammatory diseases. As traumatic brain injury (TBI) caused a neuroinflammatory response, we examined the effect of fenofibrate, a PPARalpha agonist, on the post-traumatic consequences caused by lateral fluid percussion of brain in rats. The effects of fenofibrate (50 and 100mg/kg) were evaluated on the consequences of TBI in the early phase (6 and 24h) and the late phase (7 days) after TBI. Neurological deficit, brain lesion, cerebral oedema and ICAM-1 expression were evaluated. Treatment with fenofibrate (given p.o. at 1 and 6h after TBI) decreases the neurological deficit induced by TBI at 24h. Furthermore, fenofibrate reduces brain oedema and ICAM-1 expression at 24h post-TBI. Rats given fenofibrate at 1, 6, 24, 48 and 72h after TBI show neurological recovery associated with a reduction of the brain lesion at 7 days post-TBI. The present data represents the first demonstration that fenofibrate, a PPARalpha agonist, exerts neuroprotective effects in TBI. The activation of receptor PPARalpha could be beneficial by counteracting the deleterious inflammatory response following TBI. This suggests that PPARalpha activation could be a new and promising therapeutic strategy for the treatment of brain trauma.