# Potential Role of Serum Cytokines and Chemokines as Biomarkers of Injury Severity and Functional Outcomes Following Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury

## TL;DR

This study explores how blood cytokines could help assess the severity and outcomes of traumatic brain injuries in children.

## Contribution

The study identifies specific cytokines that may serve as potential biomarkers for pediatric TBI severity and prognosis.

## Key findings

- Elevated IL-6 and IL-10 levels at enrollment were strongly associated with severe TBI.
- Cytokines like IL-6, IL-10, and IL-16 showed potential as biomarkers for TBI outcomes.
- Several inflammatory markers were found to be significantly altered in children with TBI compared to controls.

## Abstract

What are the main findings?
Cytokines may be beneficial as biomarkers of pediatric TBI severity and prognosis

Cytokines may be beneficial as biomarkers of pediatric TBI severity and prognosis

What are the implications of the main findings?
Additional studies may be beneficial in delineating the role of cytokines in assessing pediatric TBI.

Additional studies may be beneficial in delineating the role of cytokines in assessing pediatric TBI.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one of the leading causes of death and neurological disability worldwide. The search for biomarkers that indicate TBI severity and prognosis with greater accuracy is ongoing. This study aimed to evaluate the significance of several neuroinflammatory cytokines and chemokines, assessing their potential as biomarkers in pediatric TBI (pTBI). This was an exploratory analysis of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines measured in a subset of 26 children aged 0–18 years with TBI and 21 controls. TBI severity was determined by GCS. The functional outcome was measured via the GOS-E score at 6 weeks and 3, 6, 9, and 12 months post-injury. Serum samples were analyzed for ICAM-1, VCAM-1, SAA, CRP, IFN-g, IL-10, IL-12p70, IL-13, IL-1b, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, TNF-a, TNF-b, eotaxin, eotaxin-3, IP-10, MCP-1, MCP-4, MDC, MIP-1a, MIP-1b and TARC. Levels of IL-6, IL-10, IL-13, IL-16, MDC, and GM-CSF were increased, and IFN-γ, IL-5, IL-8, and eotaxin-3 were decreased at enrollment when compared with controls. Elevated IL-6 and IL-10 at enrollment were associated with severe TBI (AUC of 1, p = 0.0002 and p = <0.0001, respectively). IL-6, IL-10, IL-16, and TNF-β at enrollment and IL-5 at 24 h were elevated in children with unfavorable outcomes, with an AUC > 0.8, suggesting biomarker potential. Our data indicate that several cytokines and chemokines measured after TBI may aid in the assessment of pTBI severity and prognosis. IL-6, IL-10, and IL-16 may show potential as biomarkers for pTBI severity and outcomes.