Background　Traumatic brain injury（TBI） is the leading cause of death and disability among young adults. Biomarkers can be used to evaluate the severity of brain injury quantitatively and predict neurological outcome.　Objective　To discuss the mechanisms, current research status and clinical application prospects of biomarkers in assessing the degree of injury and predicting outcomes of TBI.　Content　In this review, the available data from biomarkers of TBI including neuron specific biomarkers （neuron specific enolase, ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase-L1 and Tau protein）, glial cell specific biomarkers （glial fibrillary acidic protein and S100）, inflammatory biomarkers （IL-1, IL-6, IL-10, IL-8, TNF-α） and others （mylin basic protein, spectrin and its breakdown products） was overviewed. Time course, sensitivity and specificity of the above biomarkers were discussed.　Trend　The candidate biomarkers can be applied to aid the diagnosis of TBI, predict neurological outcomes and monitor secondary injury. However, the clinical utility needs to be further explored.