Dynamic analysis of 22 serum biomarkers following pneumothorax.

BACKGROUND: Pneumothorax is a common respiratory emergency. Current diagnosis primarily relies on imaging examinations, but these have insufficient sensitivity for early or occult cases, and there is a lack of highly specific molecular markers. Investigating the dynamic changes in serum biomarkers is of great significance for the early diagnosis and intervention of pneumothorax. METHODS: A rat pneumothorax model was established. Serum was collected before modeling and at 1, 2, 6, 12, 24, and 48 h after modeling. Using pre-modeling rat serum marker levels as a baseline, 22 biomarkers (including inflammatory factors, fibrosis-related molecules, immunomodulatory molecules, and metabolic indicators) were detected using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Small animal ultrasound was used to verify model establishment. RESULTS: The rat pneumothorax model was successfully established, with ultrasound showing the loss of the lung sliding sign. The biomarkers exhibited four dynamic patterns: (1) Early rapid increase in pro-inflammatory factors (tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-1β, etc.); (2) Sustained or fluctuating increase in fibrosis-related molecules (transforming growth factor-β, collagen, etc.); (3) Sustained decrease in the anti-inflammatory factor interleukin-10; (4) Fluctuating changes in metabolic indicators and aquaporin markers (25-hydroxyvitamin D, aquaporin-4/5). Notably, to our knowledge, this study is the first to discover early, significant, and rapid increases in tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRACP), intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) in a pneumothorax model, which may provide a basis for the early diagnosis of pneumothorax. CONCLUSION: This study systematically delineates the dynamic evolution patterns of multiple classes of serum biomarkers following pneumothorax. The novel finding of abnormal elevations in TRACP, ICAM-1, and NF-κB challenges traditional understanding of their functions and provides new potential candidate targets for the early diagnosis of pneumothorax.