Aim: Brain edema developing due to central nervous system trauma is still a significant reason of mortality and morbidity. There is still no definite approach for the medical treatment of brain edema despite many clinical and laboratory studies in recent years. We therefore investigated the effect of proanthocyanidin, an antioxidant agent, on brain edema in this study.
Material and methods: A total of 30 rats were used and divided into three as the control, trauma and treated trauma groups. Subjects were sacrificed after 72 hours. The brain tissue-water ratio was evaluated and biochemical analysis of brain tissue performed.
Results: The difference between the treated trauma and control groups was statistically significant while the trauma and control groups were relatively similar. Rats that had undergone trauma and received proanthocyanidin treatment were statistically significant and different from the trauma group rats regarding the biochemical analysis results, brain tissue water ratio, and the cold damage enzymatic antioxidant defense system of cortical neural tissue.
Conclusion: We believe that proanthocyanidin, an antioxidant substance, can be an effective treatment for brain edema.