ABSTRACT
Currently, there is no definitive diagnostic test for traumatic brain injury (TBI) to help physicians determine the seriousness of injury or the extent of cellular pathology. Calpain cleaves alphaII-spectrin into breakdown products (SBDP) after TBI and ischemia. Mean levels of both ipsilateral cortex (IC) and cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) SBDP at 2, 6, and 24 h after two levels of controlled cortical impact (1.0 mm and 1.6 mm of cortical deformation) in rats were significantly elevated by injury. CSF and IC SBDP levels were significantly higher after severe (1.6 mm) injury than mild (1.0 mm) injury over time. The correlation between CSF SBDP levels and lesion size from T2-weighted magnetic resonance images 24 hours after TBI as well as correlation of tau and S100beta was assessed. Mean levels of CSF SBDP (r = 0.833) and tau (r = 0.693) significantly correlated with lesion size while levels of CSF S100beta did not (r = 0.188). Although levels of CSF and IC SBDP and lesion size are all significantly higher after 1.6 mm than 1.0 mm injury, the correlation between CSF SBDP and lesion size was not significant following the removal of controls from the analysis. This indicates CSF SBDP is a reliable marker of the presence or absence of injury. Furthermore, larger lesion sizes 24 h after TBI were negatively correlated with motor performance on days 1-5 after TBI (r = -0.708). Based on these data, evaluation of CSF SBDP levels as a biomarker of TBI is warranted in clinical studies.
Subject(s)
Biomarkers/cerebrospinal fluid , Brain Injuries/cerebrospinal fluid , Brain/metabolism , Spectrin/cerebrospinal fluid , Spectrin/metabolism , Animals , Blotting, Western , Brain Injuries/pathology , Brain Injuries/physiopathology , Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel , Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay , Magnetic Resonance Imaging , Male , Rats , Rats, Sprague-Dawley , Recovery of FunctionABSTRACT
Bing de ling is a Chinese herbal formula most commonly used in complementary medical settings against viral disorders. We have found that bing de ling potentiates upregulation of immune activity when administered to mice in dosages proportional to those used clinically. These mice demonstrated significant elevation of interleukin-2 (IL-2) and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) production in splenocytes and enhancement of macrophage, natural killer cell, and lymphokine-activated killer cell cytotoxicity. These data are consistent with bing de ling's clinically observed efficacy against viruses and identify the formula as a promising candidate for clinical trials against diverse diseases that may respond to increased immunologic activity.
