Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41959010›Full record

ArticlebioRxiv : the preprint server for biology2026

Ceramide-rich extracellular vesicles as pathogenic biomarkers in traumatic brain injury.

Zainuddin Quadri, Zhihui Zhu, Xiaojia Ren, Simone M Crivelli, Liping Zhang, P D Kunjadia, Patrick G Sullivan, Bibi B Broome, Tritia R Yamasaki, Erhard Bieberich

Abstract readPreprint
In one paragraph

Article in bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Zainuddin QuadriDepartment of Physiology, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, KY.
Zhihui ZhuDepartment of Physiology, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, KY.
Xiaojia RenDepartment of Physiology, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, KY.
Simone M CrivelliDepartment of Physiology, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, KY.
Liping ZhangDepartment of Physiology, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, KY.
P D KunjadiaSpinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Center, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, KY.
Patrick G SullivanSpinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Center, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, KY.
Bibi B BroomeDepartment of Neurology, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, KY.
Tritia R YamasakiDepartment of Neurology, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, KY.
Erhard BieberichDepartment of Physiology, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, KY.

Funding

Sustained eIF5A hypusination at the core of brain metabolic dysfunction in TDP-43 proteinopathiesP20GM148326 · NIGMS · UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY · PI Patrick G Sullivan · 2023 to 2026
$10.6M
Function of ceramide in extracellular vesicle-mediated neurodegenerative diseaseRF1AG078338 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY · PI BIEBERICH, ERHARD · 2022 to 2025
$2.6M
Regulation of Microglial Activation State by a Lipid TransporterR01AG064234 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY · PI BIEBERICH, ERHARD · 2020 to 2024
$1.9M
BLRD VA I01 BX003643NIA NIH HHS R01 AG064234NIA NIH HHS RF1 AG078338NIGMS NIH HHS P20 GM148326
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) contribute to the damage caused by traumatic brain injury (TBI) and can cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB). We analyzed plasma-derived EVs from human TBI patients to identify factors potentially contributing to TBI pathology. EVs were isolated using membrane affinity (ExoEasy) and size exclusion chromatography (iZone), both yielding CD9(+) and CD63(+) EVs with minimal contamination by serum albumin and apolipoprotein. Immunoblotting detected GFAP in TBI but not control EVs, indicating astrocyte-derived EVs crossing the BBB. Proteomic analysis and immunoblotting of EVs from TBI samples identified C-reactive protein and 14-3-3 proteins, which were not detected in control EVs, indicating inflammation associated with TBI. Lipidomic analysis showed ceramide enrichment in TBI EVs, validated by anti-ceramide immunoprecipitation. In a mouse closed head-controlled cortical impact model, brain EVs similarly showed elevated ceramide, confirming ceramide-rich EV release after TBI. Immunocytochemistry localized acid sphingomyelinase (ASM), a ceramide-generating enzyme, to ependymal cilia, suggesting these sites as a potential source of EVs. This was further supported by the detection of ASM in both brain- and plasma-derived EVs, along with the ciliary marker Arl13b in the brain. To assess function, we treated murine neuronal (N2a) cells with TBI EVs. Transcriptomics and STRING analyses revealed enrichment of mitochondrial-associated transcripts. Immunoblotting showed increased p53 and voltage-dependent anion channel 1 (VDAC1), which mediate ceramide-induced apoptosis. Seahorse assays showed that TBI EVs suppressed glycolysis, as indicated by reduced ECAR, while mitochondrial respiration (OCR) remained unchanged. LDH assays further indicated that TBI EVs were more neurotoxic than control EVs. Together, these findings identify ceramide-rich EVs as plasma biomarkers of TBI-induced inflammation, potential mediators of neuronal mitochondrial dysfunction, and pharmacological targets to prevent TBI-induced damage.

Indexed as

CeramideExtracellular vesiclesMitochondriaTraumatic brain injury

Identifiers

PMID41959010
PMCPMC13060148

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.