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Early Redox Biomarker Changes After Stellate Ganglion Block in Traumatic Brain Injury

27. září 2026 aktualizováno: Ivan Kostadinov, University Medical Centre Ljubljana

Early Redox Biomarker Changes After Stellate Ganglion Block in Traumatic Brain Injury: A Paired Arterial-Jugular Pilot Study

Oxidative stress is a key mediator of secondary brain injury after traumatic brain injury (TBI). The stellate ganglion block (SGB) has been shown to modulate cerebral hemodynamics and neuroinflammation in brain-injured patients, but its effect on circulating redox biomarkers in human TBI has not been studied.

This is a post hoc secondary analysis of stored paired arterial and internal jugular venous blood samples from a prospective, single-center, before-and-after pilot study conducted at the University Medical Centre Ljubljana (parent trial: NCT04208477). Twenty adult patients with moderate-to-severe TBI (Glasgow Coma Scale score 12 or lower before intubation) who received a single ultrasound-guided SGB were included.

Paired blood samples collected at baseline and at 12 and 24 hours after SGB were assayed for derivatives of reactive oxygen metabolites (d-ROMs), plasma antioxidant capacity (PAT), the composite oxidative stress index (OSI = d-ROMs/PAT), the early lipid-peroxidation marker hexanoyl-lysine (HEL), and the oxidative DNA-damage marker 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG). No new intervention was administered, no additional patients were enrolled, and no additional biological samples were collected.

The primary outcome is the within-participant change in jugular venous OSI from baseline to 12 hours after SGB. Secondary outcomes include temporal changes in d-ROMs, HEL, and 8-OHdG in both arterial and jugular venous compartments, and the interaction between blood compartment and time. The statistical analysis plan for the oxidative-stress endpoints was documented before the biomarker assays were performed.

This pilot study provides variability estimates and preliminary data to inform the design of future controlled trials evaluating SGB as a potential modulator of post-traumatic oxidative stress.

Přehled studie

Postavení

Dokončeno

Podmínky

Intervence / Léčba

Detailní popis

Background and Rationale_____ Traumatic brain injury triggers a cascade of secondary injury mechanisms, including neuroinflammation, excitotoxicity, mitochondrial dysfunction, and oxidative stress. Reactive oxygen and nitrogen species overwhelm endogenous antioxidant defenses in the hours to days following injury, contributing to lipid peroxidation, protein oxidation, and DNA damage that exacerbate neuronal loss beyond the initial mechanical insult.

The stellate ganglion, located at the C7-T1 vertebral level, provides sympathetic innervation to the head, neck, and upper extremities. Blockade of this ganglion with local anesthetic has been used clinically for decades in the management of complex regional pain syndrome and other sympathetically mediated conditions. In cerebrovascular pathology, SGB has been associated with increased cerebral blood flow velocity, improved brain tissue oxygenation, and attenuation of neuroinflammatory markers. The parent study (NCT04208477) demonstrated favorable hemodynamic and oxygenation changes after SGB in TBI patients. Whether these hemodynamic effects are accompanied by measurable changes in the systemic and cerebral redox environment has not been investigated in humans.

The present post hoc analysis was designed to characterize the early temporal profile of circulating oxidative-stress biomarkers in paired arterial and internal jugular venous blood after SGB in moderate-to-severe TBI. The paired sampling strategy enables estimation of trans-cerebral gradients (jugular minus arterial concentration), providing indirect information about the balance of cerebral production and clearance of redox metabolites._____

Study Design_____

This is a secondary biomarker analysis embedded within a prospective, single-center, uncontrolled, before-and-after pilot study conducted at the surgical intensive care unit of the University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Slovenia (November 2021 to December 2023). The study was approved by the National Medical Ethics Committee of the Republic of Slovenia (approval KME RS 0120-537/2019/15) and conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. Written informed consent was obtained from the legally authorized representative of each patient, as participants were unable to consent due to their clinical condition.

Twenty adult patients (aged 18-80 years) with moderate or severe TBI, defined as a Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score of 12 or lower before tracheal intubation, who received a single ultrasound-guided left SGB as part of the parent study, were included. Paired arterial (radial artery catheter) and right internal jugular venous blood samples were collected at three time points: immediately before SGB (baseline), 12 hours post-SGB, and 24 hours post-SGB. Samples were centrifuged, aliquoted, and stored at -80 degrees Celsius until batch analysis._____

Biomarker Assays_____

The following redox biomarkers were measured in each paired sample:

d-ROMs: Measured using the Free Radical Analytical System (FRAS 5; H&D srl, Parma, Italy), reflecting circulating hydroperoxide-derived oxidant burden. Results expressed in Carratelli Units (U.CARR).

PAT: Measured on the same FRAS 5 platform, estimating total plasma antioxidant capacity to reduce ferric ions to ferrous ions. Results expressed in U.Cor.

OSI: Calculated as d-ROMs/PAT, a composite measure of the pro-oxidant/antioxidant balance. Higher values indicate greater oxidative stress.

HEL: An early-phase lipid peroxidation product, measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Reflects oxidative modification of polyunsaturated fatty acids at an early, reversible stage.

8-OHdG: A marker of oxidative DNA damage, measured by ELISA. Reflects hydroxyl radical attack on guanine residues in DNA._____

Statistical Analysis_____

The statistical analysis plan for the oxidative-stress endpoints was documented before laboratory assays were performed. The primary analysis tests the within-participant change from baseline in jugular venous OSI at 12 hours using a Wilcoxon signed-rank test, with the Hodges-Lehmann estimator and its 95% confidence interval as the effect measure. Secondary analyses apply repeated-measures approaches (Friedman test for time effects; Wilcoxon signed-rank tests for pairwise time-point and compartment comparisons) to d-ROMs, HEL, and 8-OHdG in both arterial and venous samples. Multiple comparisons are adjusted using the Holm-Bonferroni method. Exploratory Spearman correlations between redox biomarkers and inflammatory/brain-injury markers (IL-6, NSE, S100B, GFAP) are corrected using the Benjamini-Hochberg false discovery rate.

The sample size of 20 reflects the complete parent-study cohort. No separate power calculation was performed for this exploratory secondary analysis. Variability estimates from this pilot are reported to inform future sample-size planning for a controlled trial.

Typ studie

Pozorovací

Zápis (Aktuální)

20

Kontakty a umístění

Tato část poskytuje kontaktní údaje pro ty, kteří studii provádějí, a informace o tom, kde se tato studie provádí.

Studijní místa

      • Ljubljana, Slovinsko, 1000
        • University Medical Centre Ljubljana (UMCL)

Kritéria účasti

Výzkumníci hledají lidi, kteří odpovídají určitému popisu, kterému se říká kritéria způsobilosti. Některé příklady těchto kritérií jsou celkový zdravotní stav osoby nebo předchozí léčba.

Kritéria způsobilosti

Věk způsobilý ke studiu

18 let až 80 let (Dospělý, Starší dospělý)

Přijímá zdravé dobrovolníky

Ne

Pohlaví způsobilá ke studiu

Všechno

Metoda odběru vzorků

Vzorek nepravděpodobnosti

Studijní populace

The study population consists of 20 adult patients with moderate or severe traumatic brain injury who were treated in the surgical intensive care unit of the University Medical Centre Ljubljana and participated in the original stellate ganglion block study (NCT04208477). All patients had a Glasgow Coma Scale score of 12 or lower before intubation and received a single ultrasound-guided stellate ganglion block. This retrospective post hoc study analyzes stored paired arterial and jugular venous blood samples collected at baseline and 12 and 24 hours after the block. No new participants were enrolled, no additional intervention was administered, and no additional biological samples were collected for this analysis.

Popis

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Adult patients with moderate or severe traumatic brain injury who participated in the original stellate ganglion block study (NCT04208477).
  • Glasgow Coma Scale score of 12 or lower before tracheal intubation.
  • Receipt of a single ultrasound-guided stellate ganglion block during the original study.
  • Availability of stored paired arterial and jugular venous blood samples collected at baseline and at the required post-block time points.
  • Availability of sufficient clinical and laboratory data to link the paired samples and determine their collection time relative to the stellate ganglion block.
  • Original informed consent provided by the participant's legally authorized representative permitted storage and subsequent scientific analysis of the collected samples.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Absence of a baseline paired arterial and jugular venous blood sample.
  • Absence of suitable post-block samples required for the longitudinal analysis. Insufficient sample volume or sample quality for the planned redox biomarker analyses.
  • Samples failing prespecified laboratory quality-control criteria.
  • Incomplete or inconsistent sample identification or collection-time data preventing reliable pairing of arterial and jugular venous samples.
  • Withdrawal of consent or absence of authorization for secondary analysis of stored samples.

Studijní plán

Tato část poskytuje podrobnosti o studijním plánu, včetně toho, jak je studie navržena a co studie měří.

Jak je studie koncipována?

Detaily designu

  • Observační modely: COHORT
  • Časové perspektivy: RETROSPECTIVE

Kohorty a intervence

Skupina / kohorta
Intervence / Léčba
Patients With Traumatic Brain Injury Previously Treated With Stellate Ganglion Block

A cohort of adult patients with moderate or severe traumatic brain injury who received an ultrasound-guided stellate ganglion block as part of a previously conducted clinical study. This post hoc study retrospectively analyzes stored paired arterial and jugular venous blood samples collected before and at 12 and 24 hours after the block. No intervention was assigned and no additional samples were collected specifically for the present analysis.

Single ultrasound-guided left stellate ganglion block with local anesthetic, administered as part of the parent interventional study (NCT04208477). No additional intervention was performed for this secondary analysis.

Co je měření studie?

Primární výstupní opatření

Měření výsledku
Popis opatření
Časové okno
Change in Oxidative Stress Index in Paired Arterial and Jugular Venous Blood Samples
Časové okno: Baseline, 12 hours, and 24 hours after stellate ganglion block

Within-participant change from baseline in the oxidative stress index (OSI) measured in paired arterial and jugular venous blood samples at 12 and 24 hours after stellate ganglion block. OSI is a derived measure combining reactive oxygen metabolite levels assessed by the derivatives of reactive oxygen metabolites test (d-ROMs) and antioxidant capacity assessed by the plasma antioxidant test (PAT). Higher OSI values indicate a greater imbalance toward oxidative stress. The analysis evaluates changes over time, differences between arterial and jugular venous compartments, and the interaction between sampling time and blood compartment.

Baseline, 12 hours, and 24 hours after stellate ganglion block

Sekundární výstupní opatření

Měření výsledku
Popis opatření
Časové okno
Change in Derivatives of Reactive Oxygen Metabolites
Časové okno: Baseline, 12 hours, and 24 hours after stellate ganglion block

Within-participant change from baseline in derivatives of reactive oxygen metabolites (d-ROMs) measured in paired arterial and jugular venous blood samples. The d-ROMs test estimates circulating hydroperoxide-derived oxidant burden, with higher values indicating greater oxidative activity. The analysis evaluates temporal changes and differences between arterial and jugular venous compartments.

Baseline, 12 hours, and 24 hours after stellate ganglion block
Change in Hexanoyl-Lysine Concentration
Časové okno: Baseline, 12 hours, and 24 hours after stellate ganglion block

Within-participant change from baseline in hexanoyl-lysine (HEL) concentration in paired arterial and jugular venous blood samples. HEL is an early marker of lipid peroxidation. The analysis evaluates changes over time and differences between arterial and jugular venous compartments.

Baseline, 12 hours, and 24 hours after stellate ganglion block
Change in 8-Hydroxy-2'-Deoxyguanosine Concentration
Časové okno: Baseline, 12 hours, and 24 hours after stellate ganglion block

Within-participant change from baseline in 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) concentration in paired arterial and jugular venous blood samples. 8-OHdG is a marker of oxidative DNA damage. The analysis evaluates changes over time and differences between arterial and jugular venous compartments.

Baseline, 12 hours, and 24 hours after stellate ganglion block
Change in plasma antioxidant capacity
Časové okno: Baseline, 12 hours, and 24 hours after stellate ganglion block

Within-participant change from baseline in plasma antioxidants with the plasma antioxidant test (PAT) in paired arterial and jugular venous blood samples. PAT assesses ferric-reducing antioxidant capacity. The analysis evaluates changes over time and differences between arterial and jugular venous compartments.

Baseline, 12 hours, and 24 hours after stellate ganglion block

Další výstupní opatření

Měření výsledku
Popis opatření
Časové okno
Concentration of inflammatory and brain-injury biomarkers
Časové okno: Baseline, 12 hours, and 24 hours after stellate ganglion block

Within-participant change from baseline in inteleukin 6 (IL-6), neuron specific enolase (NSE), protein S100B and glial fibrillary acid protein (GFAP) concentrations. IL-6 reflects neuroinflammation; protein S100B and GFAP are the markers of glial injury, and NSE is a marker of neuronal injury. The analysis evaluates temporal changes and differences between arterial and jugular venous compartments

Baseline, 12 hours, and 24 hours after stellate ganglion block

Spolupracovníci a vyšetřovatelé

Zde najdete lidi a organizace zapojené do této studie.

Sponzor

Termíny studijních záznamů

Tato data sledují průběh záznamů studie a předkládání souhrnných výsledků na ClinicalTrials.gov. Záznamy ze studií a hlášené výsledky jsou před zveřejněním na veřejné webové stránce přezkoumány Národní lékařskou knihovnou (NLM), aby se ujistily, že splňují specifické standardy kontroly kvality.

Hlavní termíny studia

Začátek studia (Aktuální)

1. listopadu 2021

Primární dokončení (Aktuální)

31. prosince 2023

Dokončení studie (Aktuální)

1. května 2026

Termíny zápisu do studia

První předloženo

18. září 2026

První předloženo, které splnilo kritéria kontroly kvality

23. září 2026

První zveřejněno (Aktuální)

28. září 2026

Aktualizace studijních záznamů

Poslední zveřejněná aktualizace (Aktuální)

1. října 2026

Odeslaná poslední aktualizace, která splnila kritéria kontroly kvality

27. září 2026

Naposledy ověřeno

1. září 2026

Více informací

Termíny související s touto studií

Další identifikační čísla studie

  • Oxidative Stress
  • 0120-537/2019/15 (Jiný identifikátor: The national Medical Ethics Committee of the Republic of Slovenia)

Plán pro data jednotlivých účastníků (IPD)

Plánujete sdílet data jednotlivých účastníků (IPD)?

ANO

Popis plánu IPD

De-identified individual participant data underlying the reported redox biomarker analyses, together with the corresponding data dictionary, may be shared. Data that could permit participant identification will not be provided.

Časový rámec sdílení IPD

Data will be available beginning after publication of the study results and for 5 years thereafter.

Kritéria přístupu pro sdílení IPD

Data will be available to qualified researchers who submit a methodologically sound proposal to the corresponding author. Access will be subject to approval by the study investigators and institutional data controller, compliance with applicable ethical and data-protection requirements, and completion of a data-use agreement. Data may be used only for the purposes specified in the approved proposal.

Typ podpůrných informací pro sdílení IPD

  • PROTOKOL STUDY
  • MÍZA
  • ANALYTIC_CODE
  • CSR

Informace o lécích a zařízeních, studijní dokumenty

Studuje lékový produkt regulovaný americkým FDA

Ne

Studuje produkt zařízení regulovaný americkým úřadem FDA

Ne

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