Changes in plasma thrombospondin-1 concentrations following acute intracerebral hemorrhage

Abstract Background Angiogenesis is a fundamental process for brain development and repair. Thrombospondin-1 is the first identified endogenous angiogenesis inhibitor. Its expression in rat brain is upregulated after intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). We determined whether plasma thrombospondin-1 concentrations are associated with injury severity and prognosis in ICH patients. Methods This observational, prospective study recruited 110 patients and 110 age- and gender-matched healthy controls. Blood samples were collected from the patients at admission and from the healthy controls at study entry to measure plasma thrombospondin-1 concentrations. The endpoints included 1-week mortality, 6-month mortality, 6-month overall survival and 6-month unfavorable outcome (modified Rankin Scale score > 2). Results Plasma thrombospondin-1 concentrations were markedly higher in patients than in healthy controls. Thrombospondin-1 was an independent predictive factor for all endpoints and plasma thrombospondin-1 concentrations were highly associated with injury severity reflected by hematoma volume and National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score. Under receiver operating characteristic curves, plasma thrombospondin-1 concentrations had similar predictive values compared with hematoma volume and National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score. Conclusions Increased plasma thrombospondin-1 concentrations following ICH are independently associated with injury severity and short-term and long-term clinical outcomes.