Background and purpose: Peroxiredoxins are endogenous antioxidants that function as peroxide and peroxynitrite scavengers. Extracellular peroxiredoxins, however, are shown to initiate inflammation within the ischemic brain through activation of Toll-like receptors. Based on this observation, we hypothesized that plasma peroxiredoxin concentrations in ischemic stroke would correlate biomarkers of inflammation and predict poor outcome.
Methods: In a prospective study of patients with ischemic stroke, plasma peroxiredoxin 5 (PRX5) concentrations and inflammatory biomarkers at day 3 after stroke onset were correlated and the association between PRX5 at day 3 and outcome at 3 months assessed.
Results: PRX5 concentrations were available for 98 patients and were lower in those with more severe strokes (P=0.001). PRX5 was inversely correlated to biomarkers of inflammation at day 3 after stroke and did not predict 3-month outcome.
Conclusions: Plasma PRX5 is decreased in severe stoke and inversely correlated to biomarkers of systemic inflammation. These data suggest that PRX5 is not a proinflammatory mediator in acute stroke. Moreover, the inverse relationship between PRX5 and stroke severity suggests that PRX5 is either consumed or its production is impaired in severe stroke. Further study is needed to define the potential role of PRX5 in stroke.
Keywords: inflammation; outcome measures; stroke.