Metabolomic profiles of patients with ischemic stroke: searching for biomarkers

Ischemic stroke (IS) is one of the most common causes of mortality worldwide and represents 80% of all stroke cases. Previous studies have shown that some metabolites can be markers of oxidative injury to vascular endothelial cells and neuromodulation after brain ischemia. Biomarkers are small molecules that are dysregulated during diseases and that can be used to improve diagnosis and to determine prognosis, including responses to treatment. This study aims to identify if there are specific metabolites in the plasma of patients with IS in the acute and chronic stages. Currently, we have evaluated plasma samples of 21 individuals, using proton Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (1H NMR). The samples were divided into 4 groups: 6 samples from patients in the acute phase of IS (less than 24 h after the event), 6 samples from patients in the chronic phase of IS (more than 3 months after the acure event), 5 samples from healthy and agematched individuals and 4 samples from asymptomatic patients with severe internal carotid artery stenosis. Samples were evaluated using 1 H NMR spectra, recorded under the same conditions in a 600 MHz spectrometer.