Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 11, 2026
Rat Model of Closed-Head Mild Traumatic Injury and its Validation
Published on: September 22, 2023
Relationship between injury severity and serum tau protein levels in traumatic brain injured rats
Po-Chou Liliang1, Cheng-Loong Liang, Kang Lu
1Department of Neurosurgery, E-Da Hospital, I-Shou University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
Background:
Although serum tau protein levels increase following TBI, the time course is unknown. The aim of the present study was to determine whether serum tau protein levels increased in both a severity-dependent and time-dependent manner in an experimental model of rat traumatic brain injury (TBI).
Methods:
A total of 24 Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to varying grades of TBI using a contusion injury model on the right parietal cortex. Enzyme-linked Immunoabsorbent Assay (ELISA) analysis for serum was performed at 15 min pre-injury, 1, 6, 24, 48, and 168 h post-injury. Immunoblotting for serum tau protein, neurological evaluation and histological observation were also performed.
Results:
Tau protein levels rapidly increased after 1 h in both mild and severe TBI groups (p<0.001), and declined after 6 h. In the sham-operated group, tau protein levels did not change significantly after TBI. Tau protein levels were severity-dependent at 1 and 6 h after TBI. The levels were higher in the severe TBI group than in the mild TBI group at 1 h (p<0.001) and 6 h (p<0.001).
Conclusions:
Serum tau protein levels were severity-dependent and time-dependent at 1 and 6 h after TBI. However, the serum tau protein may not be a useful marker 24 h after TBI.
