Oxidation-Reduction Potential as a Biomarker for Severity and Acute Outcome in Traumatic Brain Injury

• Main Authors: Kimberly B. Bjugstad, Leonard T. Rael, Stewart Levy, Matthew Carrick, Charles W. Mains, Denetta S. Slone, David Bar-Or
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hindawi Limited 2016-01-01
• Series: Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2016/6974257

There are few reliable markers for assessing traumatic brain injury (TBI). Elevated levels of oxidative stress have been observed in TBI patients. We hypothesized that oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) could be a potent biomarker in TBI. Two types of ORP were measured in patient plasma samples: the static state of oxidative stress (sORP) and capacity for induced oxidative stress (icORP). Differences in ORP values as a function of time after injury, severity, and hospital discharge were compared using ANOVAs with significance at p≤0.05. Logit regression analyses were used to predict acute outcome comparing ORP, Injury Severity Score (ISS), Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS), and Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS). Antioxidant capacity (icORP) on day 4 was prognostic for acute outcomes (p<0.05). An odds ratio of 4.08 was associated with poor acute outcome when icORP > 7.25 μC. IcORP was a better predictor than ISS, AIS, or GCS scores. sORP increased in those with the highest ISS values (p<0.05). Based on these findings ORP is useful biomarker for severity and acute outcome in TBI patients. Changes in ORP values on day 4 after injury were the most prognostic, suggesting that patients’ response to brain injury over time is a factor that determines outcome.