Protective effect examination of exogenous Progesterone and melatonin after transient ischemia on CA1 region of hippocampus in adult male rat

Stroke is the second leading cause of death worldwide and is one of the main causes of long-term disabilities. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of Melatonin and Progesterone on stroke complications.
Sixty four male wistar rats were enrolled in the present study. Common carotid arteries were closed for 20 minutes. Then the animals were treated with 8 mg/kg Progesterone and10 mg/kg Melatonin. Moriss water maze test was done after 2 weeks. Then the animals were sacrificed and histological examination was performed.
The results showed that Progesterone and Melatonin increased the number of pyramidal cells and improved spatial memory in comparison with the ischemic and solvent groups (p0.05)
It seems that the Progesterone and Melatonin usage have beneficial effects on improving spatial memory and behavioral functions after stroke.