Whole blood levels of S1PR4 mRNA associated with cerebral vasospasm after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage

OBJECTIVE: The authors sought to identify mRNA biomarkers of cerebral vasospasm in whole blood of patients suffering from aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH). METHODS: A prospective transcriptomic study for vasospasm was conducted in whole blood samples of 44 aSAH patients who developed (VSP+ group, n = 22) or did not develop (VSP- group, n = 22) vasospasm. Samples from all patients were profiled for 21,460 mRNA probes using the Illumina Human HT12v4.0 array. Differential statistical analysis was performed using a linear mixed model. RESULTS: Levels of sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor 4 (S1PR4) mRNA were significantly higher (p = 8.03 × 10-6) at presentation in patients who developed vasospasm after aSAH than in patients who did not. CONCLUSIONS: The results, which are consistent with findings of previous experimental investigations conducted in animal models, support the role of S1PR4 and its ligand, sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), in arterial-associated vasoconstriction, which suggests that S1PR4 could be used as a biomarker for cerebral vasospasm in aSAH patients.