The following is a summary of “Proteomic and metabolomic signatures of isolated and polytrauma traumatic brain injury,” published in the December 2023 issue of Surgery by Cralley, et al.
The interplay between polytrauma, shock, and traumatic brain injury (TBI) in thromboinflammatory responses remains poorly understood, hindering progress toward personalized medicine in trauma care. For a study, researchers posited that a comprehensive omics analysis of plasma would unveil distinct metabolic and thromboinflammatory pathways following TBI.
Patients were categorized based on TBI versus non-TBI and further stratified into polytrauma or minimally injured groups. Discovery omics techniques were utilized to quantify the top differentially expressed proteins and metabolites in TBI and non-TBI patient cohorts.
Comparison of TBI with non-TBI patients revealed gene enrichment in coagulation/complement cascades and neuronal markers. TBI patients exhibited elevated levels of glycolytic metabolites and conjugated bile acids. Further subdivision into isolated TBI versus polytrauma highlighted additional proteomic and metabolomic signature distinctions.
The identified mediators implicated in neural inflammation, blood-brain barrier disruption, and bile acid metabolism associated with TBI-induced coagulopathy provide valuable insights for subsequent mechanistic investigations to develop personalized interventions in trauma care.
Reference: americanjournalofsurgery.com/article/S0002-9610(23)00374-4/abstract