SERUM DETERMINATION OF TAU PROTEIN AS A POTENTIAL PREDICTIVE BIOMARKER OF ENCEPHALOPATHY ASSOCIATED WITH HEMOLYTIC UREMIC SYNDROME

ANA BEATRIZ CELI.; PINTO, ALIPIO; MARIA BELÉN FAVAROLO; ADRIANA CANGELOSI

Mar del Plata

Congreso; Reunión Anual de Sociedades de Biociencia; 2021

Sociedad Argentina de Investigación Clínica

Hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) is a foodborne disease caused by intoxication with Shiga toxin (Stx) produced by enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC). HUS is characterized by microangiopathic hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia and renal failure. A variety of neurological alterations are often associated with poor prognosis and mortality risk, becoming the highest incidence of death due to HUS. In addition to Stx, EHEC is a gram-negative bacterium and thus releases LPS known to be involved in proinflammatory-related events which contributes significantly to the development of the disease. Early detection of neural serum biomarkers during the first days of bloody diarrhea manifestation, and prior HUS signs and symptoms, could be determinant to prevent the progress of the disease. We are currently studying the tau protein associated-neuronal microtubules. Its presence in blood as a neuronal damage consequence confirms a wide spectrum of brain insults. The aim of this work was to determine whether the neuronal tau protein can be considered an early serological biomarker of encephalopathy in the context of HUS. For this purpose, NIH-Swiss male mice were intravenously injected with vehicle, LPS (800ng), Stx2 (3.5ng, 1LD100) or a combination of Stx2 and LPS (Stx2+LPS, same previous amounts). After 1-and 2- days blood samples were collected to test by Elisa (Invitrogen, Viena, Austria) the detection of tau protein. One way ANOVA and Tukey post-hoc tests were employed for statistical analysis. A significant two-fold increase was determined after 2 days in the Stx2+LPS group (p