Cerebrospinal fluid levels of lysophosphatidic acids can provide suitable biomarkers of blast-induced traumatic brain injury

Blast-induced traumatic brain injury (bTBI) has been identified as the signature injury of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. Although the incidence of bTBI increased significantly after the introduction of improvised explosive devices, the mechanism of the injury is still uncertain, which is negatively impacting the development of suitable countermeasures. Identification of suitable biomarkers that could aid in the proper diagnosis of and prognosis for both acute and chronic bTBI is essential since bTBI frequently is occult and may not be associated with overtly detectable injuries to the head. Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) is a bioactive phospholipid generated by activated platelets, astrocytes, choroidal plexus cells and microglia and is reported to play major roles in stimulating inflammatory processes. The levels of LPA in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) have been reported to increase acutely after non-blast related brain injuries. In the present study, we have evaluated the utility of LPA levels measured in the CSF and plasma of laboratory rats as an acute and chronic biomarker of brain injury resulting from single and tightly coupled repeated blast overpressure exposures. In the CSF, many LPA species increased at acute time points, returned to normal levels at 1 month, and increased again at 6 months and 1 year post-blast overpressure exposures. In the plasma, several LPA species increased acutely, returned to normal levels by 24 hr, and were significantly decreased at 1 year post-blast overpressure exposures. These decreases in LPA species in the plasma were associated with decreased levels of lysophosphatidyl choline, suggesting a defective upstream biosynthetic pathway of LPAs in the plasma. Notably, the changes in LPA levels in the CSF (but not plasma) negatively correlated with neurobehavioral functions in these rats, suggesting that CSF levels of LPAs may provide a suitable biomarker of bTBI that reflects severity of injury.