Neuroanesthesia & neurocritical care
Metabolomic in severe traumatic brain injury: exploring primary, secondary injuries, diagnosis, and severity
Authors' conclusion
The results demonstrate that serum metabolomics has diagnostic potential for sTBI and may reflect molecular mechanisms of primary and secondary brain injuries when comparing metabolite profiles between day 1 and day 4 post-injury.
Study context
- Population
- Adults with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI); serum sampled on days 1 and 4 post-injury
- Participants
- 59 vs 35
- Comparison
- Severe TBI vs orthopedic injury controls
- Severe traumatic brain injury (sTBI)n = 59
- Orthopedic injury (OI) controlsn = 35reference
- Outcome
- Serum metabolic profiles, sTBI vs OI controls
- Follow-up
- Days 1 and 4 post-injury
Methodological detailsage- and sex-matched controls, quantitative metabolomics (1H-NMR, DI/LC-MS/MS)
- Age- and sex-matched controls
- Quantitative metabolomics (1H-NMR, DI/LC-MS/MS)
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
- Different serum metabolic profiles between sTBI and OI controls, with significant changes on day 1 and day 4
- Number and extent of altered metabolites more pronounced on day 4 than day 1
- High sensitivity and specificity in separating sTBI from OI controls
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Metabolite changes by day
- Energy-related (glucose, pyruvate, lactate, mannose) and polyamine (spermine, putrescine) metabolites, increased acylcarnitines and sphingomyelins mainly on day 1
- Glutamate, phenylalanine, tyrosine and branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) increased to a greater degree on day 4
Association with injury severity
- Acylcarnitines (ACs), lysophosphatidylcholines (LysoPCs), glutamate and phenylalanine associated with injury severity at day 4
- Lactate, glucose and pyruvate correlated with injury severity on day 1
Original publication
Metabolomic in severe traumatic brain injury: exploring primary, secondary injuries, diagnosis, and severity. Crit Care. Published 15 January 2025. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →