Diagnostic and Prognostic Interests of Plasmatic Neuroglobin during Stroke in Adult at the Acute Phase

Introduction: Neuroglobin (Ngb) owes its name to its preferred location in the nervous system. Its plasma concentration increases during cerebral ischemia. However, the interest of its dosage in the diagnosis and the prognosis of the strokes in the adult is not defined. Objectives: To determine if plasmatic Ngb can be used as a diagnostic biomarker and prognostic for stroke in adults at the acute phase. Population and Methods: This was a prospective study in 69 people, including 39 suspected stroke (Cerebral ischemia or CI, Intracerebral hemorrhage or ICH) and 30 healthy volunteers (controls). The plasma concentration of Ngb (CmNgb in ng/ml) of the patients was determined at admission day (d1), at the third day (d3) and seventh day (d7). CmNgbtaken at d1 was compared between patients and controls. Its evolution over time, as well as its relation with the clinical parameters, including the Glasgow coma scale and the short-term mortality in stroke subjects was analyzed by the Mann and Whitney tests and the Wilcoxon test (p < 0.05). Results: At d1, the CmNgb of all types of stroke was 3.140 ± 2.700 ng/ml, and did not differ significantly from controls (0.303 ± 0.114 ng/ml, p = 0.070). On the other hand, it was higher in CI victims (5.800 ± 0.720 ng/ml) than in ICH (1.750 ± 0,090 ng/ml) (p = 0.030). It then decreased on d3 in CI victims (2.600 ± 0.112 ng/ml) and ICH (0.420 ± 0.211 ng/ml), returning to normal on d7 (0.420 ± 0.200 ng/ml for CI’s, p = 0.001, and 0.360 ± 0.300 ng/ml for ICH, p = 0.002). There was a relationship between CmNgb, delay of occurrence of the first symptoms of the stroke (3.140 ± 2.700 ng/ml before the 6th hour, and 0.643 ± 0.244 ng/ml after the 6th hour (p = 0.003) and the volume of the hematoma (p = 0.0027). None relationship existed between CmNgb, Glasgow coma scale (p = 0.427) and short-term mortality (CmNgb = 3.95 ng/ml in survivors versus 2.65 ng/ml in deceased p = 0.060). Conclusion: This study shows that the plasma concentration of Neuroglobin is high during stroke in humans in the acute phase. This elevation follows triphasic kinetics and appears to be more important during infarction than hemorrhage. These results suggest that CmNgb can be used as a diagnostic marker for stroke in adult at the acute phase, by differentiating ischemia from hemorrhage. However, this work needs to be confirmed on a larger sample of patients.