Plasma Unesterified Fatty-Acid Profile Is Dramatically and Acutely Changed under Ischemic Stroke in the Mouse Model

Although plasma biomarkers would facilitate rapid and accurate diagnosis of ischemic stroke for immediate treatment, no such biomarkers have been developed to date. In the present study, we tested our hypothesis that plasma unesterified fatty acids (FFA) are altered at early stages of acute ischemic stroke. Plasma was collected from mice 2 h after the permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion (pMCAo) onset, as well as from sham operated and control animals. After 2 h, pMCAo significantly changed the plasma FFA profile with the most dramatic 2- to 3-fold relative increase in very long n-3 and n-6 FFA including 20:4n-6, 22:4n-6, 22:5n-6, and 22:6n-3. Changes in the plasma FFA profile are consistent with FFA liberation from brain phospholipid hydrolyzed under ischemic insult. These results identify, for the first time, the plasma FFA profile as a potential biomarker for an early ischemic stroke within the therapeutic window for thrombolytic treatment. Further studies are required to confirm its specificity and sensitivity in clinical settings.