Sphingolipid changes in mouse brain and plasma after mild traumatic brain injury at the acute phases

Abstract

Background: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) causes neuroinflammation and can lead to long-term neurological dysfunction, even in cases of mild TBI (mTBI). Despite the substantial burden of this disease, the management of TBI is precluded by an incomplete understanding of its cellular mechanisms. Sphingolipids (SPL) and their metabolites have emerged as key orchestrators of biological processes related to tissue injury, neuroinflammation, and inflammation resolution. No study so far has investigated comprehensive sphingolipid profile changes immediately following TBI in animal models or human cases. In this study, sphingolipid metabolite composition was examined during the acute phases in brain tissue and plasma of mice following mTBI.

Methods: Wildtype mice were exposed to air-blast-mediated mTBI, with blast exposure set at 50-psi on the left cranium and 0-psi designated as Sham. Sphingolipid profile was analyzed in brain tissue and plasma during the acute phases of 1, 3, and 7 days post-TBI via liquid-chromatography-mass spectrometry. Simultaneously, gene expression of sphingolipid metabolic markers within brain tissue was analyzed using quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Significance (P-values) was determined by non-parametric t-test (Mann-Whitney test) and by Tukey's correction for multiple comparisons.

Results: In post-TBI brain tissue, there was a significant elevation of 1) acid sphingomyelinase (aSMase) at 1- and 3-days, 2) neutral sphingomyelinase (nSMase) at 7-days, 3) ceramide-1-phosphate levels at 1 day, and 4) monohexosylceramide (MHC) and sphingosine at 7-days. Among individual species, the study found an increase in C18:0 and a decrease in C24:1 ceramides (Cer) at 1 day; an increase in C20:0 MHC at 3 days; decrease in MHC C18:0 and increase in MHC C24:1, sphingomyelins (SM) C18:0, and C24:0 at 7 days. Moreover, many sphingolipid metabolic genes were elevated at 1 day, followed by a reduction at 3 days and an absence at 7-days post-TBI. In post-TBI plasma, there was 1) a significant reduction in Cer and MHC C22:0, and an increase in MHC C16:0 at 1 day; 2) a very significant increase in long-chain Cer C24:1 accompanied by significant decreases in Cer C24:0 and C22:0 in MHC and SM at 3 days; and 3) a significant increase of C22:0 in all classes of SPL (Cer, MHC and SM) as well as a decrease in Cer C24:1, MHC C24:1 and MHC C24:0 at 7 days.

Conclusions: Alterations in sphingolipid metabolite composition, particularly sphingomyelinases and short-chain ceramides, may contribute to the induction and regulation of neuroinflammatory events in the early stages of TBI, suggesting potential targets for novel diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic strategies in the future.

Keywords: Ceramide; Inflammation; Sphingolipid; Sphingomyelin; Sphingomyelinase; Traumatic brain injury.

Fig. 1

Analysis of enzymatic activity of sphingomyelinases (acidic sphingomyelinase: aSMase and basic sphingomyelinase: nSMase) in brain tissue of wild type (WT) mice at A) 1 day after treatment with 0-psi (sham) or 50-psi (blast) TBI, B) 3 days after treatment with 0-psi (sham) or 50-psi (blast) TBI, C) 7 days after treatment with 0-psi (sham) or 50-psi (blast) TBI. (n = 6; p < 0.05; ANOVA)

Fig. 2

Analysis of different sphingolipids in the brain tissues of wild type (WT) mice 1 to 7 days after treatment with 0-psi (sham) or 50-psi (blast) TBI. A Ceramide (Cer), Monohexosylceramides (MHC), Sphingomyelins (SM), and total level of these sphingolipids (% of control WT-Sham) in the brain of WT-Sham (WT-0) and WT-Blast (WT-50) mice one day after TBI. B Ceramide-1-phosphate (C1P), Sphingosine (Sph), Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), and Sphinganine (Sa) level (% of control WT-Sham) in the brain of four groups of animals as shown in A. (n = 6; p < 0.05; ANOVA)

Fig. 3

Expression analysis of sphingolipid metabolic genes in the brain tissues of wild type (WT) mice A) 1 day after treatment with 0-psi (sham) or 50-psi (blast) TBI, B) 3 days after treatment with 0-psi (sham) or 50-psi (blast) TBI, C) 7 days after treatment with 0-psi (sham) or 50-psi (blast) TBI. mRNA expression levels are presented over wild type sham (WT-0) (= 1.0) after normalization with two housekeeping genes, Ribosomal protein L19 (Rpl19) and Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (Gapdh) (n = 6; p < 0.05; ANOVA). Spt1, Serine palmitoyl transferase 1; Spt2; CerS1, Ceramide synthase 1; CerS2; CerS5; CerS6; GCS, Glucosyl-ceramide-synthase; Asah1, Acyl-sphingosine amido-hydrolase-1(acid-Ceramidase); Asah2; Smpd1, Sphingomyelin phosphodiesterase 1; Smpd2; Cerk, Ceramide kinase; Sphk1, Sphingosine kinase 1; Sphk2

Fig. 4

Analysis of different sphingolipids in plasma of wild type (WT) mice 1 to 7 days after treatment with 0-psi (sham) or 50-psi (blast) TBI. A Ceramide (Cer), Monohexosylceramides (MHC), Sphingomyelins (SM), and total level of these sphingolipids (% of control WT-Sham) in plasma of WT-Sham (WT-0) and WT-Blast (WT-50) mice one day after TBI. B Ceramide-1-phosphate (C1P), Sphingosine (Sph), Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), and Sphinganine (Sa) level (% of control WT-Sham) in plasma of four groups of animals as shown in A. (n = 6; p < 0.05; ANOVA)