The use of animal and cellular models of traumatic brain injury: An African perspective
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) contributes substantially to trauma-related injuries and fatalities. TBI incidence is lower in Africa than North America, however the healthcare system in Africa is challenged by underreporting and reduced infrastructure. Due to TBI heterogeneity, the identification of m...
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| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2025-12-01
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| Series: | Aspects of Molecular Medicine |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2949688825000334 |
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| Summary: | Traumatic brain injury (TBI) contributes substantially to trauma-related injuries and fatalities. TBI incidence is lower in Africa than North America, however the healthcare system in Africa is challenged by underreporting and reduced infrastructure. Due to TBI heterogeneity, the identification of molecular markers for TBI could alleviate the challenges in diagnosing and treating TBI. Animal and cellular models can be used to streamline the identification of candidate TBI markers. Several molecular mechanisms have been implicated in TBI including oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, mitochondrial dysfunction and energy imbalance. This review aimed to compare methodologies, signaling markers and pathways highlighted in animal and cellular TBI models of oxidative stress and inflammation. In the reviewed studies, mice were more commonly tested compared to rats while a variety of cell types were tested, ranging from primary microglia to neuronal cell lines. Of the TBI-inducing techniques used in animals, the weight-drop approach was mostly used for oxidative stress response while controlled cortical impact was used for inflammation. For cellular TBI models, hydrogen peroxide was commonly used for oxidative stress whereas glutamate and lipopolysaccharide treatments were used to simulate inflammation. Nrf2 (nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2) pathway was most commonly investigated in oxidative stress, while NF-κB (nuclear factor kappa B) was most commonly investigated in inflammation. For accurate comparisons between studies, standardization of techniques should be implemented. The lack of cellular TBI models could be a gap to test TBI molecular pathways without the ethical concerns raised in the use of animals. |
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| ISSN: | 2949-6888 |