BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is a devastating neurological injury, further complicated by few available methods to objectively predict outcomes. With the recent shift in focus to neuroinflammation as a potential cause of adverse outcomes following SAH, we investigated the inflammasome-derived enzyme, caspase-1, as a potential biomarker for poor functional outcome.

METHODS

SAH patients were recruited from a regional stroke referral center. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples from 18 SAH subjects were collected via an external ventricular drain and obtained as close as possible to admission (within 72 h). For control subjects, we collected CSF from 9 patients undergoing lumbar puncture with normal CSF. Caspase-1 activity was measured using commercially available luminescence assays. SAH subjects were categorized at hospital discharge into those with good outcomes (Glasgow Outcome Scale, GOS, of 4-5) and poor outcomes (GOS of 1-3).

RESULTS

CSF analysis demonstrated a nearly seven-fold increase in caspase-1 activity in SAH patients compared to controls (p < 0.0001). Within the SAH group, 10 patients (55.6%) had good outcomes and 8 patients (44.4%) had poor outcomes. Mean caspase-1 activity in the poor outcome group was approximately three-times higher than the good outcome group (p = 0.001). Caspase-1 activity was significantly correlated with GOS score (r = - 0.705, p = 0.001). Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that caspase-1 activity can accurately differentiate between patients with good versus poor functional outcome (area under the curve 0.944, p = 0.002).

CONCLUSIONS

Inflammasome-derived caspase-1 activity is elevated in the CSF of SAH patients compared to controls and higher levels correlate with worse functional outcome.