Citation

Pham N, Sawyer T, Wang Y, Rastgar Jazii F, Vair C, Taghibiglou C. J. Neurotrauma 2014; 32(1): 58-65.

Affiliation

University of Saskatchewan , 107 Wiggins Road , Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada , S7N 5E5 ; nathan.pham@usask.ca.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014, Mary Ann Liebert Publishers)

DOI

10.1089/neu.2014.3471

PMID

25058115

Abstract

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is deemed the 'signature injury' of recent military conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, due largely to increased blast exposure. Injuries to the brain can often be misdiagnosed, leading to further complications in the future. Therefore, the use of protein biomarkers for the screening and diagnosis of TBI is urgently needed. In the present study, we have investigated the plasma levels of soluble cellular prion protein (PrPC) as a novel biomarker for the diagnosis of primary blast-induced TBI (bTBI). We hypothesize that the primary blast wave can disrupt the brain and dislodge extracellular localized PrPC, leading to a rise in concentration within the systemic circulation. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to single pulse shockwave overpressures of varying intensities [15-30 Pounds/Sq. Inch (PSI) or 103.4-206.8 kPa] using an Advanced Blast Simulator. Blood plasma was collected 24 hours after insult, and PrPC concentration was determined with a modified commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) specific for PrPC. We provide the first report that mean PrPC concentration in primary blast exposed rats (3.97 ng/mL ± 0.13 S.E.) is significantly increased compared to control (2.46 ng/mL ± 0.14 S.E.;2-tailed test p<0.0001). Furthermore, we report a mild positive rank correlation between PrPC concentration and increasing blast intensity (PSI) ,reflecting a plateaued response at higher pressure whichmagnitudes, which may allow for improved injury outcome assessment in the futurehave implications for all military service members exposed to blast events. In conclusion, it appears that plasma levels of PrPC may be a novel biomarker for the detection of primary bTBI. Key words: A. Blast exposure; B. Blood Plasma; C. Brain injury; D. ELISA; D. Cellular prion protein.

Language: en