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Abstract
Context: Carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning results in neuronal injury. The expression of Dickkopf-1 (DKK-1) has not been investigated previously after CO poisoning.
Objective: The current study aimed to investigate the DKK-1 expression levels in humans and rats with acute CO poisoning and to analyze their correlation with poisoning severity.
Materials and methods: We measured serum DKK-1 levels in patients with acute CO poisoning (n = 94) and in healthy controls (n = 90). On admission, a poisoning severity score (PSS) was determined for each patient. In addition, 36 male Sprague–Dawley rats were randomly assigned into three groups: (a) Sham group, (b) Low CO group and (c) High CO group. At 2 h after CO poisoning, DKK-1 expression and histopathological damage in the hippocampal tissues were measured.
Results: Serum DKK-1 levels were significantly higher in the acute CO-poisoned patients, compared to the healthy controls. Serum DKK-1 levels were significantly higher in the CO-poisoned patients with a lower PSS. In rats, CO poisoning induced significant upregulation of the gene and protein expression of DKK-1 in hippocampal tissues. Moreover, there was a positive correlation between DKK-1 levels and the degree of damage in the hippocampal tissues.
Discussion: DKK-1 induction in neurons after CO poisoning causes further neuronal injury. The severity of acute CO poisoning in rat models is associated with elevated serum DKK-1 levels and its upregulation in the brain tissue.
Conclusion: DKK-1 appears to have potential utility in providing valuable information for determining the severity and damage of CO poisoning.
Declaration of interest
The authors declare that they have no competing interests. This study was supported by research grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 81501653 and 81401581).