Investigation of neurofilament light chain (NFL) levels in a blunt head trauma model in rabbits

Aim: In this study, our objective is to experimentally investigate the levels of Neurofilament light chain (NFL) in serum, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and brain tissue, as well as the apoptotic changes in brain tissue, to determine the brain damage occurring in rabbits with mild, moderate, and severe blunt head trauma Methods: In our study, Marmarou's impact acceleration model was used to create a head trauma model in rabbits. Four sample groups were studied: control, mild, moderate, and severe. Serum and CSF levels were analyzed at the 4th and 12th hours and statistically compared between the groups. Results: Serum (4th and 12th hours), CSF 12th hour, and BRAIN 12th hour NFL level measurements were compared between the trauma (n=21) and control (n=6) groups, and no significant difference was observed in any of the NFL levels in the pairwise comparison between the trauma and control groups (p>0.05 in all). On the other hand, no statistically significant difference was observed between the four groups in NFL measurements. When looking at apoptosis index, it was understood that as the level of trauma increased, the median values also increased, and the statistically significant difference was observed between the control group - severe trauma and mild - severe trauma groups (p = 0.002). Conclusion: Although an increase was observed in the trauma group and at the 12th hour of serum-CSF levels in our study, the related differences were not observed to be statistically significant. Considering the statistically insignificant increase patterns in the trauma group and the literature data, it was understood that serum NFL levels may still be a promising biomarker for determining trauma groups and especially in long-term clinical follow-ups. Keywords: head trauma, brain injury, NFL, Neurofilament light chain, experimental, blund head trauma model.