Extend life for wounded soldiers with female sex hormones

The wrong shipping box helped American scientists detect female genital hormones that could reduce the risk of death for wounded soldiers.

Female hormones help soldiers prolong life due to blood loss

According to the Huffington Post, researchers under the direction of Dr. Irshad Chaudry of the University of Alabama in Birmingham (UAB), Alabama, USA, accidentally discovered female sex hormones capable of prolonging life. for war invalids who lost a lot of blood . Each soldier can carry a small syringe containing this hormone and inject himself when needed.

In 1997, while investigating the mechanism of infection that caused multiple organ necrosis resulting in death in mice, Chaudry and his colleagues received a container containing all female mice, instead of male mice. He decided to experiment with female mice and the results were surprising after 19 years: a group of female mice were able to self-antibacterial without treatment with an estrogen produced by their bodies.

From 2001 to 2011, more than 80% of US soldiers died from blood loss after being injured.(Photo: Armend Nimani).

Chaudry and his colleagues found that an amount of estrogen 17β-estradiol (E2 ) when injected into male and female mice can protect them against infection, no matter what stage of the estrous cycle they are at. This type of estrogen affects the immune system and cardiovascular reactions, often drastically reduced when damaged.

They continue to test E2 with blood loss. As a result, just one synthetic estrogen dose of EE-3-SO4 also helps prolong life by three hours without the need for liquid resuscitation, and longer if the solution is added after those three hours.

This study helped them to win the competition organized by the US Defense Advanced Research Project Center (DARPA) in 2005 to find a drug that could help soldiers hold out for another six hours after losing blood. can be fatal. At the same time, they received a US $ 10 million contract from the US Department of Defense to clinically test this hormone.

"Research by Dr. Chaudry and colleagues shows that EE-3-SO4 is extremely effective in improving the function of the circulatory system and increasing the survival rate after severe blood loss " , Mansoor Saleh, specialist senior in UAB said.

"This drug can be used effectively to treat damage caused by severe blood loss. We are excited to be testing this drug on humans."

If injured soldiers receive blood transfusions in a "golden hour", the chances of survival will increase significantly.According to researchers, a synthetic estrogen injection can last "golden hours" to 6 hours.(Photo: UAB).

According to Saleh, the drug does not stop bleeding but helps the body respond to blood loss by mobilizing several physiological mechanisms at the same time.

"Part of my challenge is to find out how EE-3-SO4 works its magic , " Saleh said.

"We envision a dose that can be injected in the battlefield, helping patients stay longer while waiting to be transported to a medical facility for treatment. The key is to maintain the amount. blood on the brain and other important body parts when the patient is losing blood ".

This drug has three effects. It helps the heart beat faster, contracts better to maximize blood flow throughout the body. It also reduces the blood-blocking factor to important parts of the body and gradually increases systemic blood pressure. At the same time, it gathers fluid from surrounding tissues to increase blood volume to compensate for the loss of blood.

Testing EE-3-SO4 on humans takes a lot of time and no one can be sure that it brings good results, Saleh said. However, if the results are as expected, the drug may cause a big change in how to care for an injured patient.

According to Dr. Chaudry, an injection of EE-3-SO4 can help patients hold out longer after losing a lot of blood without blood transfusions.(Photo: UAB).

"This kind of drug will work very well," said Jeffrey Kerby, director of the UAB's Center for Injury, Burns and Surgery, and former US Air Force surgeon.

"It not only helps to save the lives of soldiers on the battlefield but also is an important tool to help health workers promptly deal with any kind of injury," Mr. Kerby said.