Rhind Shawn G, Shiu Maria Y, Tenn Catherine, Nakashima Ann, Jetly Rakesh, Sajja Venkata Siva Sai Sujith, Long Joseph B, Vartanian Oshin
Defence Research and Development Canada, Toronto Research Centre, Toronto, ON M3K 2C9, USA.
Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 2W6, Canada.
Int J Mol Sci. 2025 Feb 20;26(5):1808. doi: 10.3390/ijms26051808.
Repeated exposure to low-level blast overpressure, frequently experienced during explosive breaching and heavy weapons use in training and operations, is increasingly recognised as a serious risk to the neurological health of military personnel. Although research on the underlying pathobiological mechanisms in humans remains limited, this study investigated the effects of such exposure on circulating molecular biomarkers associated with inflammation, neurovascular damage, and endothelial injury. Blood samples from military breachers were analysed for myeloperoxidase (MPO), matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), and junctional proteins indicative of blood-brain barrier (BBB) disruption and endothelial damage, including occludin (OCLN), zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1), aquaporin-4 (AQP4), and syndecan-1 (SD-1). The results revealed significantly elevated levels of MPO, MMP-3, MMP-9, and MMP-10 in breachers compared to unexposed controls, suggesting heightened inflammation, oxidative stress, and vascular injury. Increased levels of OCLN and SD-1 further indicated BBB disruption and endothelial glycocalyx degradation in breachers. These findings highlight the potential for chronic neurovascular unit damage/dysfunction from repeated blast exposure and underscore the importance of early targeted interventions-such as reducing oxidative stress, reinforcing BBB integrity, and managing inflammation-that could be essential in mitigating the risk of long-term neurological impairment associated with blast exposure.
在训练和作战中进行爆炸物爆破及使用重型武器时，军事人员经常会反复暴露于低强度爆炸超压环境，这种情况日益被视为对军事人员神经健康的严重威胁。尽管关于人类潜在病理生物学机制的研究仍然有限，但本研究调查了这种暴露对与炎症、神经血管损伤和内皮损伤相关的循环分子生物标志物的影响。对军事爆破人员的血样进行分析，检测髓过氧化物酶（MPO）、基质金属蛋白酶（MMPs）以及表明血脑屏障（BBB）破坏和内皮损伤的连接蛋白，包括闭合蛋白（OCLN）、紧密连接蛋白-1（ZO-1）、水通道蛋白-4（AQP4）和多功能蛋白聚糖-1（SD-1）。结果显示，与未暴露的对照组相比，爆破人员体内MPO、MMP-3、MMP-9和MMP-10水平显著升高，表明炎症加剧、氧化应激增强和血管损伤。OCLN和SD-1水平升高进一步表明爆破人员存在血脑屏障破坏和内皮糖萼降解。这些发现凸显了反复爆炸暴露导致慢性神经血管单元损伤/功能障碍的可能性，并强调了早期针对性干预措施的重要性，如减轻氧化应激、增强血脑屏障完整性和控制炎症，这些措施对于降低与爆炸暴露相关的长期神经损伤风险可能至关重要。
