Refinement of Saliva Mi-Rna Biomarkers for Sport-Related Concussion

Abstract

Introduction: The changes in brain structure caused by a sports-related concussion may initially be indistinguishable, however, the irreversible deleterious effects are noted in the long term. An early diagnosis may provide the patient with a better recovery chance and increased survival. For this purpose, this paper studies the feasibility of a diagnosis for concussion by microRNA (mi-RNA) biomarkers contained in the saliva of athletes. Objective: Verify whether salivary miRNAs could be considered good biomarkers for sports concussion. Methodology: Salivary mi-RNA levels were determined from 120 saliva samples of 120 players. There were 43 with a diagnosis of concussion and 77 without a diagnosis of concussion. Samples from players with a concussion were collected 30 minutes prior to activity, samples from individuals who did not engage in physical activity were also compared. Results: On the evaluation of 30 miRNA from individuals with a concussion between contact and non-contact sports there was high detection reliability(P<.05). Both miR-532-5p and miR-182-5p showed reduced amounts of physical activity. The miRNA-532-5p and miRNA-182-5p show significant results among 43 subjects from pre-exercise to post-exercise. The miRNA-4510 showed a significant result (p < 0.05) between contact and non-contact sport types. The amount of miRNA-4510 expanded in 20 individuals in the contact sport at post-exercise but remained normal in the non-contact sports group. Conclusion: The salivary miRNAs are reliable biomarkers for concussion. Evidence Level II; Therapeutic Studies – Investigating the results.

Non-invasive fluid biomarkers in the diagnosis of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI): a systematic review

“…Only one study assessed multiple biomarkers 10. The most commonly studied biomarker was salivary microRNA which was examined in 11 studies 11–21. Cortisol was assessed in four studies 10 22–24.…”

“…Hicks et al 16 19 have same trial design. Gu et al 14 were not represented in the figure due to unspecified time frame from mTBI to enrollment in study. (B) Representation of enrollment and fluid sampling in mTBI subjects for studies assessing non-RNA salivary biomarkers.…”

“…This study developed a model using miRNA-27a-5p and miRNA-30a-3p that had a diagnostic AUC of 0.810 at 14 hours post-injury 18. Gu et al 14 validated the findings of Hicks et al 18 concluding that either miRNA-27a-5p alone or a combination of miRNA-27a-5p and miRNA-30a-3p could diagnose SRC as accurately as serum biomarkers as compared with a healthy non-mTBI control group 14. Hicks et al 16 identified 10 clusters of miRNA changes post-mTBI that corresponded with post-injury symptoms, number of previous concussions and time since injury 16…”