ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a health problem worldwide, and therapeutic strategies to enhance brain tissue repair to lessen neurologic sequels are imperative. We aimed to analyze the impact of the inflammatory process in TBI through CXCR4 and CXCR7 chemokine receptors and their ligands' CXCL11 and CXCL12 expression profile in search for potential new druggable targets. METHODS: Twelve pericontusional tissues from severe TBI patients submitted to surgical treatment, and 20 control brain tissues from normal autopsy were analyzed for expression profile by real-time quantitative-polymerase chain reaction. CXCR7 and CXCR4 protein expressions were analyzed by immunohistochemistry. The findings were correlated with the clinical evolution. RESULTS: Increased gene expression of both receptors and their ligands was observed in TBI compared with controls, presenting high sensitivity and specificity to differentiate TBI from normal control (area under the curve ranging from 0.85 to 0.98, P < 0.001). In particular, CXCR7 expression highly correlated with CXCR4 and both ligands' expressions in TBI. Higher immunoreactions for CXCR7 and CXCR4 were identified in neurons and endothelial cells of TBI samples compared with controls. The patients presenting upregulated chemokine expression levels showed a trend toward favorable clinical evolution at up to 6 months of follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: The neuroprotective trend of CXCR4, CXCR7, CXCL11, and CXCL12 in TBI observed in this initial analysis warrants further studies with more patients, analyzing the involved signaling pathways for the development of new therapeutic strategies for TBI.
Subject(s)
Brain Contusion/genetics , Chemokine CXCL11/genetics , Chemokine CXCL12/genetics , Receptors, CXCR4/genetics , Receptors, CXCR/genetics , Adult , Aged , Brain Contusion/metabolism , Brain Injuries, Traumatic/genetics , Brain Injuries, Traumatic/metabolism , Case-Control Studies , Chemokine CXCL11/metabolism , Chemokine CXCL12/metabolism , Female , Gene Expression , Humans , Immunohistochemistry , Male , Middle Aged , RNA, Messenger/metabolism , Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction , Receptors, CXCR/metabolism , Receptors, CXCR4/metabolism , Young AdultABSTRACT
To investigate the protective role and possible mechanisms of Nrf2 gene in cerebral trauma in mice. The types Nrf2(-/-) and Nrf2(+/+) mice were confirmed by PCR, and the model of closed head injury was established. The severity of injury and the effect of the injury on neurological status were assessed by Neurological Severity Score (NSS) and fatality rate, and the activated conditions of microglia and astrocyte around the injured area were observed by immunohistochemical method. Compared with Nrf2(+/+) mice, the nerve dysfunction of the Nrf2(-/-) mice was obviously more severe (P<0.01). On the first day after injury, the activation of microglia around the injured area increased significantly in Nrf2 (-/-) mice, the difference was more significant on the third day, and there was still statistical difference until the 7th day (P<0.05). Moreover, On the days 1, 3, 7 after injury, the activation of astrocyte around the injured area also increased in Nrf2(-/-) mice, however, there was statistical difference only on the 3rd day (P<0.05). Nrf2 gene knockout can aggravate the nerve dysfunction after cerebral trauma, and this effect is achieved, at least partly, possibly via the effect of Nrf2 on glial activation.
Subject(s)
Brain Injuries, Traumatic/genetics , Brain Injuries, Traumatic/pathology , Macrophage Activation/genetics , NF-E2-Related Factor 2/genetics , Nervous System Diseases/genetics , Neuroglia , Animals , Astrocytes/pathology , Brain Contusion/genetics , Brain Contusion/pathology , Brain Injuries, Traumatic/mortality , Immunohistochemistry , Male , Mice , Mice, Inbred ICR , Mice, Knockout , Nervous System Diseases/mortality , Nervous System Diseases/pathologyABSTRACT
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) were recently identified as important regulators of gene expression under a wide range of physiological and pathophysiological conditions. Thus, they may represent a novel class of molecular targets for the management of traumatic brain injury (TBI). In this study, we investigated the temporal profile of miRNA expression during the development of secondary brain damage after experimental TBI. For this purpose, we used a controlled cortical impact model in C57Bl/6 mice (n = 6) to induce a cortical contusion and analyzed miRNA expression in the traumatized cortex by microarray analysis during the development of secondary contusion expansion-i.e., at 1, 6, and 12 h after TBI. Of a total 780 mature miRNA sequences analyzed, 410 were detected in all experimental groups. Of these, 158 miRNAs were significantly upregulated or downregulated in TBI compared with sham-operated animals, and 52 miRNAs increased more than twofold. We validated the upregulation of five of the most differentially expressed miRNAs (miR-21*, miR-144, miR-184, miR-451, miR-2137) and the downregulation of four of the most differentially expressed miRNAs (miR-107, miR-137, miR-190, miR-541) by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). miR-2137, the most differentially expressed miRNA after TBI, was further investigated by in situ hybridization and was found to be upregulated in neurons within the traumatic penumbra. This study gives a comprehensive picture of miRNA expression levels during secondary contusion expansion after TBI and may pave the way for the identification of novel targets for the management of brain trauma.
