Inflammatory Markers in Patients with Acute Ischemic Stroke
Mudassir Farooqui1, sajid suriya2, Asad Ikram3, Dania Qaryouti2, Syed Quadri4, Surojit paul2, Atif Zafar5
1University of Iowa, 2University of New Mexico, 3Harvard Medical School/ Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 4Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 5St. Michael's Hospital (University of Toronto)
Objective:

To elucidate the role of inflammatory cytokines in Acute Ischemic Stroke patients

Background:

Acute ischemic stroke (AIS) is one of the leading causes of mortality and long-term disability. Ischemic changes results in inflammatory process characterized by various molecules and cytokines. There is limited data on the early changes and interaction in these cytokines. The aim of this study is to characterize the inflammatory response and explore the interaction of multiple cytokines and molecules among acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients.

Design/Methods:

This is a prospective study of AIS patients presented to a tertiary care hospital within 24 hours from the symptom onset. Patients with prior history of stroke, autoimmune diseases, and neurodegenerative diseases were excluded. Plasma samples were collected on admission and at 24 hours. Cytokines and molecules were analyzed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). R-software was used for evaluating the differences among the molecules.     

Results:

A total of 100 patients (males: 54; females: 46) from Caucasian, Hispanic, and Native American descent were included. Cytokine quantification observed a significant increase in PDGF, MPO, and MMP-9 among cases as compared to the controls at admission and 24 hours. Moreover, the levels of IL-33, IL-36, PDGF, MMP-9, and TNF-α decreases over time. Furthermore, IL-1 and IL-23 were negatively corelated with NIHSS, while the levels of IL-6 were positively corelated with infarct volume.  

Conclusions:
Our results characterize the trends in inflammatory molecules over time and their correlation with stroke severity. These observations help to better understand the inflammatory response and identify molecular biomarkers and relevant targets for subsequent modulating therapeutic interventions in AIS patients. 
10.1212/WNL.0000000000203648