AUTHOR=Ofek-Shlomai Noa , Berger Itai 

TITLE=Inflammatory Injury to the Neonatal Brain – What Can We Do?

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Pediatrics

VOLUME=Volume 2 - 2014

YEAR=2014

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pediatrics/articles/10.3389/fped.2014.00030

DOI=10.3389/fped.2014.00030

ISSN=2296-2360

ABSTRACT=Abstract <br/>Perinatal brain damage is one of the leading causes of life long disability. This damage could be hypoxic-ischemic, inflammatory or both.<br/>This mini-review discusses different interventions aiming at minimizing inflammatory processes in the neonatal brain, both before and after insult. <br/>Current options of anti-inflammatory measures for neonates remain quite limited. <br/>We describe current anti-inflammatory intervention strategies such as avoiding perinatal infection and inflammation, and reducing exposure to inflammatory processes. We describe the known effects of anti-inflammatory drugs such as steroids, antibiotics, and indomethacin, and the possible anti-inflammatory role of other substances such as IL-1receptor antagonists, erythropoietin, caffeine, estradiol, insulin like growth factor and melatonin as well as endogenous protectors, and genetic regulation of inflammation.   <br/>If successful, these may decrease mortality and long term morbidity among term and preterm infants.<br/>