Metallomics study in CSF for putative biomarkers to predict cerebral vasospasm

Cerebral vasospasm (CV) refers to physical narrowing of brain cerebral arteries due to over-contraction of the arterial wall, which often arises following a subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). CV is frequently associated with poorer outcomes in those patients. Between the ictus of SAH and its CV complication, there is a 3-7 days delay, which provides a time window to predict and possibly prevent the onset CV. Since the precise pathomechanism of CV is still unclear and approaches for predicting it are inefficient, more effective ways of predicting CV need to be developed. As a protective nourishing fluid flows through the subarachnoid space, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) closely relates to the health states of the central nervous system (CNS). Analysis of CSF can provide invaluable information to diagnose, treat and prevent diseases of the CNS because of its relatively direct representation of events in the brain. Therefore, we assume that the components in CSF and their alterations may reflect the state of aneurismal SAH and the development of vasospasm. In this study, three types of CSF from healthy control, and patients who suffered SAH and its complication, CV, were investigated via two-dimensional separations in combination with elemental and molecular mass spectrometry detection for the identification of elemental species. Size exclusion chromatography (SEC) was initially used with selective metal detection by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS) for characterizing size distribution of metal species. Various molecular distribution patterns were exhibited at different metal detection points (Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn and Pb). Further identification of possible metallopeptides and metalloprotein in tryptic digested fractions from the three sample types were made via reverse phase (RP)-Chip and electrospray mass spectrometry (MS) in combination with the Spectrum Mill data base search engine accessing appropriate data bases. Comparisons were generated to show suggested protein similarities or differences across the three CSF sample types. Six protein families with possible protein markers were further identified, and may be considered as possible focus areas for discovering valuable biomarkers to preclude the debilitating or deadly vasospasm.