Page 15 - BH-2-3
P. 15

Brain & Heart                                                               Cerebral ischemia biomarkers



            ischemia. The PRS utilizes multiple genetic variants   instance, elevated CRP levels were found to be associated
            associated with stroke to create a cumulative genetic risk   with poor functional outcomes and increased mortality
            score. Patients with a higher PRS are more likely to develop   in patients with acute ischemic stroke.  Similarly, higher
                                                                                              60
            cerebral ischemia and may be eligible for more aggressive   CRP levels have been reported to be associated with an
            preventive interventions. 50                       increased risk of recurrent ischemic stroke. 61
              Genetic biomarkers associated with cerebral ischemia   6.4. Lactate as a biomarker in cerebral ischemia
            have the potential to revolutionize stroke management by
            enabling personalized risk assessment, prevention, and   Lactate is a metabolite produced during anaerobic
            treatment strategies. However, further research is required   metabolism, indicating a state of cellular hypoxia. During
            to validate these findings in larger and more diverse   cerebral  ischemia,  lactate  levels  may  increase  as a  result
            populations and  facilitate  their  translation  into routine   of impaired energy production. Studies have shown that
            clinical practice.                                 lactate levels were significantly higher in patients with
                                                               acute ischemic stroke compared to control subjects.  In
                                                                                                          62
            6. Physiological biomarkers in cerebral            addition, higher lactate levels were positively correlated
            ischemia                                           with infarct volume and were associated with poorer
                                                               neurological outcomes.
            Cerebral ischemia leads to various physiological changes.
            The identification of physiological biomarkers for   6.5. Abnormal blood pressure variability (BPV) as a
            cerebral ischemia can aid in the diagnosis, prognosis, and   biomarker in cerebral ischemia
            monitoring of the condition. Nevertheless, further research   Abnormal BPV has been identified as a potential marker
            is needed to validate and refine the use of these biomarkers   for the severity and prognosis of cerebral ischemia.
            in clinical practice.                              Elevated BPV is associated with an increased risk of
                                                               stroke, while decreased variability indicates poor cerebral
            6.1. Glutamate as a biomarker in cerebral ischemia
                                                               autoregulation. 63
            Glutamate is an excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain
            that plays a crucial role in normal brain function. However,   7. Neuroinflammatory biomarkers in
            during cerebral ischemia, excessive release of glutamate   cerebral ischemia
            can  lead to excitotoxicity, causing  neuronal damage.   Cerebral ischemia leads to severe neuroinflammation,
            Several studies have investigated glutamate as a potential   causing neuronal damage and functional impairment. The
            biomarker for cerebral ischemia. For example, glutamate   identification and  understanding  of neuroinflammatory
            levels were shown to be significantly higher in patients   biomarkers associated with cerebral ischemia are crucial
            with acute ischemic stroke compared to control subjects.    for both diagnosis and therapeutic interventions.
                                                         57
            In addition, higher glutamate levels were associated with
            larger infarct sizes and worse neurological outcomes.  Neuroinflammation is a complex process involving
                                                               the activation of immune cells, such as microglia and
            6.2. Nitric oxide (NO) as a biomarker in cerebral   astrocytes, in response to cerebral ischemia.  These
                                                                                                      64
            ischemia                                           activated cells release various pro-inflammatory mediators,
            NO is a signaling molecule involved in various     including cytokines, chemokines, and reactive oxygen
            physiological processes, including the regulation of   species (ROS), which contribute to the deleterious effects
            blood vessels. During cerebral ischemia, the production   of cerebral ischemia in the brain. 65
            of NO is disturbed, contributing to the pathogenesis of   The use of neuroinflammatory biomarkers in clinical
            ischemic brain damage.  Studies have shown that NO   practice could enable early intervention and personalized
                                58
            concentrations in CSF were significantly higher in patients   treatment strategies, leading to improved outcomes for
            with acute ischemic stroke compared to controls.  A   patients with cerebral ischemia.
                                                       59
            positive correlation was also found between NO levels and
            the severity of the stroke.                        7.1. Cytokines as biomarkers in cerebral ischemia
                                                               Cytokines play a crucial role in the initiation and
            6.3. C-reactive protein (CRP) as a biomarker in    propagation of neuroinflammation in cerebral ischemia.
            cerebral ischemia
                                                               Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), IL-1 beta, and
            CRP  is an acute-phase  protein produced by the liver  in   IL-6 are among the most important pro-inflammatory
            response to inflammation. There is increasing evidence that   cytokines that play a role in cerebral ischemia.  Studies
                                                                                                      66
            CRP can serve as a biomarker for cerebral ischemia. For   have demonstrated increased levels of these cytokines

            Volume 2 Issue 3 (2024)                         9                                doi: 10.36922/bh.2750
   10   11   12   13   14   15   16   17   18   19   20