Department of di Experimental Biomedicine and Clinical Neurosciences (BIONEC), University of Palermo, I-90127, Palermo, Italy.
Neurol Sci. 2013 Aug;34(8):1309-14. doi: 10.1007/s10072-012-1233-4. Epub 2012 Nov 10.
Distribution of aquaporin-4 (AQP4) was studied by western analysis and immunofluorescence in rat astrocytes exposed to either hypothermic (30 °C) or hyperosmolar (0.45 M sucrose) stress, and in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients who suffered traumatic brain injury (TBI). CSF was obtained from 5 healthy subjects and from 20 patients suffering from severe TBI. CSF samples were taken at admission and on days 3 and 5-7. Here we report that, in response to both hypothermia and hyperosmolar stress, AQP4 was markedly reduced in cultured astrocytes. We also found that AQP4 significantly increased in patients with severe brain injury in respect to healthy subjects (P < 0.002). AQP4 in CSF remained unchanged in patients with elevated intracranial pressure (ICP), whereas there was a clear tendency to further increase in those patients whose ICP could be controlled within the normal range. We conclude that AQP4 levels in CSF are elevated after TBI and it might serve as a useful biochemical marker to assess brain water metabolism in clinical settings.
通过对低温（30°C）或高渗（0.45M 蔗糖）应激下的大鼠星形胶质细胞进行 Western 分析和免疫荧光研究，以及对创伤性脑损伤（TBI）患者的脑脊液（CSF）进行研究，研究了水通道蛋白-4（AQP4）的分布。从 5 名健康受试者和 20 名患有严重 TBI 的患者中获得 CSF 样本。CSF 样本分别在入院时和第 3 天以及第 5-7 天采集。在这里，我们报告说，在低温和高渗应激下，培养的星形胶质细胞中 AQP4 明显减少。我们还发现，与健康受试者相比，严重脑损伤患者的 AQP4 显著增加（P < 0.002）。颅内压（ICP）升高的患者 CSF 中的 AQP4 保持不变，而那些 ICP 可以控制在正常范围内的患者则有进一步增加的明显趋势。我们得出结论，TBI 后 CSF 中的 AQP4 水平升高，它可能作为评估临床情况下脑水代谢的有用生化标志物。
