A. Shcherbakova¹, D. Martsenkovskyi², D. Stroy³, A. Savchenko⁴,
K. Vosnitsyna⁵, O. Sulaieva¹, O. Dudin¹, V. Dosenko³

¹Medical Laboratory CSD LAB;
²Department of Psychiatry, Bogomolets National Medical University, Kyiv, Ukraine;
³Bogomolets Institute of Physiology, National A cademy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv;
⁴Scientific and Medical Center “Doslid” (LLC “Medical Research”), Kyiv, Ukraine;
⁵State Institution Veteran Mental Health and Rehabilitation Center Forest Glade Ministry of Health of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine;
e-mail: anna82201@gmail.com

Received: 04 April 2025; Revised: 12 May 2025;
Accepted: 11 June 2025; Available on-line: 07 July 2025

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI) are common consequences of combat exposure, significantly affecting both mental and physical health of military personnel. Identifying reliable biomarkers for these conditions is critical for timely diagnosis, monitoring of treatment effectiveness, and prediction of the disease course. The results of recent studies suggesting potential role of PACAP and BDNF in peripheral blood as biomarkers for PTSD have been yet unconclusive. In this study we analyzed the level of pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide and brain-derived neurotrophic factor in the blood plasma of 450 soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine divided into six groups based on their diagnosis: controls, PTSD, PTSD with TBI, TBI, complex PTSD (CPTSD), CPTSD with TBI. PTSD and CPTSD were diagnosed using the International Trauma Interview, and TBI using the Ohio State University TBI Identification Method. PACAP and BDNF levels were analyzed in the the fasting blood samples using ELISA. PACAP and BDNF levels in blood plasma in control group were 2.10 ± 0.26 and 5.13 ± 0.50 ng/ml, respectively. The study findings revealed no statistically significant differences in PACAP and BDNF levels among the study groups. The results obtained indicate potential limitations of using these biomarkers for stress disorders and TBI diagnosing in combat-exposed military populations and highlight the need for further research to identify reliable biomarkers with objective diagnostic value and prognostic significance.