Cocktail Blood Biomarkers: Prediction of Clinical Outcomes in Patients with Acute Ischemic Stroke

Background: Timely prediction of stroke outcomes is important for proper personalized treatment. In the present study, we aimed to develop cocktail blood biomarkers to increase prediction efficiency using a combination of hemostasis, inflammatory and repair-related biomarkers. Methods: 105 patients suffering from acute ischemic stroke were divided into good outcome group and poor outcome group by modified Rankin Scale (mRS). Cytokines including CD40L, IFN-gamma, IL-1 alpha, IL-1 beta, IL-6, IL-8, IL-17 and TNF-alpha, as well as hemostasis markers fibrinogen, fibrin degradation products (FDP), D-dimer, tissue plasminogen activator, and plasminogen activation inhibitor-1 in plasma were examined by ELISA. Repair-related biomarker microRNA-210 (miR-210) was measured by real-time PCR. The prediction efficiency was explored by receiver operator characteristic analysis. Results: We demonstrated that FDP, IL-6 and miR-210 levels were closely associated with mRS in stroke patients. The prediction sensitivity of FDP, IL-6 and miR-210 for stroke outcome was 72.0, 86.7 and 82.5%, respectively. Using a combination of biomarkers including FDP, IL-6 and miR-210, the prognostic sensitivity of ischemic stroke increased to 95.2%. Conclusion: The combination of FDP, IL-6 and miR-210 has a high sensitivity for predicting stroke recovery, it serves as a potential cocktail blood biomarker. It provides a novel approach for stroke prognosis. Copyright (C) 2012 S. Karger AG, Basel