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Mintoft A, Vallatos A, Robertson NJ. Mesenchymal Stromal Cell therapy for Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy: Future directions for combination therapy with hypothermia and/or melatonin. Semin Perinatol 2024:151929. [PMID: 38902120 DOI: 10.1016/j.semperi.2024.151929] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/22/2024]
Abstract
Hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) remains a leading cause of neonatal mortality and lifelong disability across the world. While therapeutic hypothermia (HT) is beneficial, it is only partially protective and adjuvant treatments that further improve outcomes are urgently needed. In high-income countries where HT is standard care, novel treatments are tested in conjunction with HT. Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) represent a paradigm shift in brain protection, uniquely adapting to the host cellular microenvironment. MSC have low immunogenicity and potent paracrine effects stimulating the host tissue repair and regeneration and reducing inflammation and apoptosis. Preclinical studies in perinatal brain injury suggest that MSC are beneficial after hypoxia-ischemia (HI) and most preclinical studies of MSC with HT show protection. Preclinical and early phase clinical trials have shown that allogenic administration of MSC to neonates with perinatal stroke and HIE is safe and feasible but further safety and efficacy studies of HT with MSC in these populations are needed. Combination therapies that target all stages of the evolution of injury after HI (eg HT, melatonin and MSC) show promise for improving outcomes in HIE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alison Mintoft
- Institute for Women's Health, University College London, London, UK
| | - Antoine Vallatos
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Glasgow; Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Nicola J Robertson
- Institute for Women's Health, University College London, London, UK; Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
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Malhotra A, Rocha AKAA, Yawno T, Sutherland AE, Allison BJ, Nitsos I, Pham Y, Jenkin G, Castillo-Melendez M, Miller SL. Neuroprotective effects of maternal melatonin administration in early-onset placental insufficiency and fetal growth restriction. Pediatr Res 2024; 95:1510-1518. [PMID: 38225450 PMCID: PMC11126390 DOI: 10.1038/s41390-024-03027-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2023] [Revised: 12/12/2023] [Accepted: 12/15/2023] [Indexed: 01/17/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Early-onset fetal growth restriction (FGR) is associated with adverse outcomes. We hypothesised that maternal melatonin administration will improve fetal brain structure in FGR. METHODS Surgery was performed on twin-bearing ewes at 88 days (0.6 gestation), and FGR induced in one twin via single umbilical artery ligation. Melatonin was administered intravenously (6 mg/day) to a group of ewes commencing on day of surgery until 127 days (0.85 gestation), when the ewe/fetuses were euthanized, and fetal brains collected. RESULTS Study groups were control (n = 5), FGR (n = 5), control+melatonin (control+MLT; n = 6) and FGR+melatonin (FGR + MLT; n = 6). Melatonin administration did not significantly alter fetal body or brain weights. Myelin (CNPase+) fibre density was reduced in FGR vs. control animals in most brain regions examined (p < 0.05) and melatonin treatment restored CNPase fibre density. Similar but less pronounced effect was seen with mature myelin (MBP+) staining. Significant differences in activated microglia (Iba-1) activity were seen between lamb groups (MLT mitigated FGR effect) in periventricular white matter, subventricular zone and external capsule (p < 0.05). Similar effects were seen in astrogliosis (GFAP) in intragyral white matter and cortex. CONCLUSIONS Maternal melatonin administration in early onset FGR led to improved myelination of white matter brain regions, possibly mediated by decreased inflammation. IMPACT Maternal melatonin administration might lead to neuroprotection in the growth-restricted fetus, possibly via dampening neuroinflammation and enhancing myelination. This preclinical study adds to the body of work on this topic, and informs clinical translation. Neuroprotection likely to improve long-term outcomes of this vulnerable infant group.
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Affiliation(s)
- Atul Malhotra
- The Ritchie Centre, Hudson Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
- Monash Newborn, Monash Children's Hospital, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
- Department of Paediatrics, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
| | - Anna K A A Rocha
- The Ritchie Centre, Hudson Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Tamara Yawno
- The Ritchie Centre, Hudson Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Amy E Sutherland
- The Ritchie Centre, Hudson Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Beth J Allison
- The Ritchie Centre, Hudson Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Ilias Nitsos
- The Ritchie Centre, Hudson Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Yen Pham
- The Ritchie Centre, Hudson Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Graham Jenkin
- The Ritchie Centre, Hudson Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Margie Castillo-Melendez
- The Ritchie Centre, Hudson Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Suzanne L Miller
- The Ritchie Centre, Hudson Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
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Schmidt R, Welzel B, Löscher W. Effects of season, daytime, sex, and stress on the incidence, latency, frequency, severity, and duration of neonatal seizures in a rat model of birth asphyxia. Epilepsy Behav 2023; 147:109415. [PMID: 37729684 DOI: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2023.109415] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2023] [Revised: 08/14/2023] [Accepted: 08/19/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023]
Abstract
Neonatal seizures are common in newborn infants after birth asphyxia. They occur more frequently in male than female neonates, but it is not known whether sex also affects seizure severity or duration. Furthermore, although stress and diurnal, ultradian, circadian, or multidien cycles are known to affect epileptic seizures in adults, their potential impact on neonatal seizures is not understood. This prompted us to examine the effects of season, daytime, sex, and stress on neonatal seizures in a rat model of birth asphyxia. Seizures monitored in 176 rat pups exposed to asphyxia on 40 experimental days performed over 3 years were evaluated. All rat pups exhibited seizures when exposed to asphyxia at postnatal day 11 (P11), which in terms of cortical development corresponds to term human babies. A first examination of these data indicated a seasonal variation, with the highest seizure severity in the spring. Sex and daytime did not affect seizure characteristics. However, when rat pups were subdivided into animals that were exposed to acute (short-term) stress after asphyxia (restraint and i.p. injection of vehicle) and animals that were not exposed to this stress, the seizures in stress-exposed rats were more severe but less frequent. Acute stress induced an increase in hippocampal microglia density in sham-exposed rat pups, which may have an additive effect on microglia activation induced by asphyxia. When seasonal data were separately analyzed for stress-exposed vs. non-stress-exposed rat pups, no significant seasonal variation was observed. This study illustrates that without a detailed analysis of all factors, the data would have erroneously indicated significant seasonal variability in the severity of neonatal seizures. Instead, the study demonstrates that even mild, short-lasting postnatal stress has a profound effect on asphyxia-induced seizures, most likely by increasing the activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. It will be interesting to examine how postnatal stress affects the treatment and adverse outcomes of birth asphyxia and neonatal seizures in the rat model used here.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ricardo Schmidt
- Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology, and Pharmacy, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Germany; Center for Systems Neuroscience Hannover, Germany
| | - Björn Welzel
- Center for Systems Neuroscience Hannover, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Löscher
- Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology, and Pharmacy, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Germany; Center for Systems Neuroscience Hannover, Germany; Translational Neuropharmacology Lab, NIFE, Department of Experimental Otology of the ENT Clinics, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.
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Häusler S, Robertson NJ, Golhen K, van den Anker J, Tucker K, Felder TK. Melatonin as a Therapy for Preterm Brain Injury: What Is the Evidence? Antioxidants (Basel) 2023; 12:1630. [PMID: 37627625 PMCID: PMC10451719 DOI: 10.3390/antiox12081630] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2023] [Revised: 07/28/2023] [Accepted: 08/15/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite significant improvements in survival following preterm birth in recent years, the neurodevelopmental burden of prematurity, with its long-term cognitive and behavioral consequences, remains a significant challenge in neonatology. Neuroprotective treatment options to improve neurodevelopmental outcomes in preterm infants are therefore urgently needed. Alleviating inflammatory and oxidative stress (OS), melatonin might modify important triggers of preterm brain injury, a complex combination of destructive and developmental abnormalities termed encephalopathy of prematurity (EoP). Preliminary data also suggests that melatonin has a direct neurotrophic impact, emphasizing its therapeutic potential with a favorable safety profile in the preterm setting. The current review outlines the most important pathomechanisms underlying preterm brain injury and correlates them with melatonin's neuroprotective potential, while underlining significant pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic uncertainties that need to be addressed in future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silke Häusler
- Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Paracelsus Medical University Salzburg, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
| | - Nicola J. Robertson
- EGA Institute for Women’s Health, University College London, London WC1E 6HX, UK; (N.J.R.); (K.T.)
- Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, 49 Little France Crescent, Edinburgh EH16 4SB, UK
| | - Klervi Golhen
- Pediatric Pharmacology and Pharmacometrics, University Children’s Hospital Basel (UKBB), University of Basel, 4001 Basel, Switzerland; (K.G.); (J.v.d.A.)
| | - John van den Anker
- Pediatric Pharmacology and Pharmacometrics, University Children’s Hospital Basel (UKBB), University of Basel, 4001 Basel, Switzerland; (K.G.); (J.v.d.A.)
- Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Children’s National Hospital, Washington, DC 20001, USA
| | - Katie Tucker
- EGA Institute for Women’s Health, University College London, London WC1E 6HX, UK; (N.J.R.); (K.T.)
| | - Thomas K. Felder
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Paracelsus Medical University, 5020 Salzburg, Austria;
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刘 一, 夏 世. [Research research on the use of melatonin in combination with therapeutic hypothermia for the treatment of neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy]. ZHONGGUO DANG DAI ER KE ZA ZHI = CHINESE JOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY PEDIATRICS 2023; 25:864-869. [PMID: 37668036 PMCID: PMC10484075 DOI: 10.7499/j.issn.1008-8830.2302099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2023] [Accepted: 06/21/2023] [Indexed: 09/06/2023]
Abstract
Neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) remains one of the leading causes of death and long-term neurodevelopmental disorders in full-term neonates, and there is currently no curative treatment. Therapeutic hypothermia is now a standard therapy for HIE in the neonatal intensive care unit, but its safety and efficacy in remote areas remains unclear. Melatonin is an indole endocrine hormone mainly produced by the pineal gland and it has the ability to easily penetrate the blood-brain barrier. Through receptor and non-receptor mechanisms, melatonin exerts anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory effects and participates in the regulation of organelle function and the inhibition of cell death. Melatonin is considered one of the most promising drugs for the treatment of HIE based on its reliable safety profile and clinical/preclinical results. This article reviews the recent research on the use of melatonin in combination with therapeutic hypothermia for the treatment of neonatal HIE.
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Pluta R, Furmaga-Jabłońska W, Januszewski S, Tarkowska A. Melatonin: A Potential Candidate for the Treatment of Experimental and Clinical Perinatal Asphyxia. Molecules 2023; 28:molecules28031105. [PMID: 36770769 PMCID: PMC9919754 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28031105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2022] [Revised: 01/11/2023] [Accepted: 01/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Perinatal asphyxia is considered to be one of the major causes of brain neurodegeneration in full-term newborns. The worst consequence of perinatal asphyxia is neurodegenerative brain damage, also known as hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy is the leading cause of mortality in term newborns. To date, due to the complex mechanisms of brain damage, no effective or causal treatment has been developed that would ensure complete neuroprotection. Although hypothermia is the standard of care for hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, it does not affect all changes associated with encephalopathy. Therefore, there is a need to develop effective treatment strategies, namely research into new agents and therapies. In recent years, it has been pointed out that natural compounds with neuroprotective properties, such as melatonin, can be used in the treatment of hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. This natural substance with anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-apoptotic and neurofunctional properties has been shown to have pleiotropic prophylactic or therapeutic effects, mainly against experimental brain neurodegeneration in hypoxic-ischemic neonates. Melatonin is a natural neuroprotective hormone, which makes it promising for the treatment of neurodegeneration after asphyxia. It is supposed that melatonin alone or in combination with hypothermia may improve neurological outcomes in infants with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. Melatonin has been shown to be effective in the last 20 years of research, mainly in animals with perinatal asphyxia but, so far, no clinical trials have been performed on a sufficient number of newborns. In this review, we summarize the advantages and limitations of melatonin research in the treatment of experimental and clinical perinatal asphyxia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryszard Pluta
- Ecotech-Complex Analytical and Programme Centre for Advanced Environmentally-Friendly Technologies, Marie Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin, 20-612 Lublin, Poland
- Correspondence: or
| | - Wanda Furmaga-Jabłońska
- Department of Neonate and Infant Pathology, Medical University of Lublin, 20-093 Lublin, Poland
| | - Sławomir Januszewski
- Laboratory of Ischemic and Neurodegenerative Brain Research, Mossakowski Medical Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, 02-106 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Agata Tarkowska
- Department of Neonate and Infant Pathology, Medical University of Lublin, 20-093 Lublin, Poland
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