TY - GEN
T1 - Neuroprotection by melatonin after germinal matrix hemorrhage in neonatal rats
AU - Lekic, Tim
AU - Manaenko, Anatol
AU - Rolland, William
AU - Virbel, Kelly
AU - Hartman, Richard
AU - Tang, Jiping
AU - Zhang, John H.
N1 - Funding Information:
Acknowledgements and Funding This study was partially supported by a grant (NS053407) from the National Institutes of Health to J.H. Zhang. Conflict of interest statement
PY - 2011
Y1 - 2011
N2 - Background: Germinal matrix hemorrhage (GMH) is a devastating neurological disorder of very low birth weight premature infants that leads to post-hemorrhagic hydrocephalus, cerebral palsy, and mental retardation. Melatonin is a potent antioxidant known to reverse free-radical mediated injury in the brain. This study investigated the effect of melatonin treatment after GMH injury. Methods: Clostridial collagenase was infused into the right germinal matrix region of neonatal rats with stereotaxic technique. Cognitive function, sensorimotor ability, cerebral, cardiac and splenic growths were measured in juvenile animals. Results: Systemic melatonin treatment ameliorated cognitive and sensorimotor dysfunction at the juvenile developmental stage. This hormone also normalized brain atrophy, splenomegaly, and cardiac hypertrophy consequences at 1 month after injury. Conclusion: This study supports the role of free radicals in acute neonatal hemorrhagic brain injury. Melatonin is an effective antioxidant that can protect the infant's brain from the post-hemorrhagic consequences of mental retardation and cerebral palsy. Further mechanistic studies are warranted to determine the mechanisms behind these neuroprotective effects.
AB - Background: Germinal matrix hemorrhage (GMH) is a devastating neurological disorder of very low birth weight premature infants that leads to post-hemorrhagic hydrocephalus, cerebral palsy, and mental retardation. Melatonin is a potent antioxidant known to reverse free-radical mediated injury in the brain. This study investigated the effect of melatonin treatment after GMH injury. Methods: Clostridial collagenase was infused into the right germinal matrix region of neonatal rats with stereotaxic technique. Cognitive function, sensorimotor ability, cerebral, cardiac and splenic growths were measured in juvenile animals. Results: Systemic melatonin treatment ameliorated cognitive and sensorimotor dysfunction at the juvenile developmental stage. This hormone also normalized brain atrophy, splenomegaly, and cardiac hypertrophy consequences at 1 month after injury. Conclusion: This study supports the role of free radicals in acute neonatal hemorrhagic brain injury. Melatonin is an effective antioxidant that can protect the infant's brain from the post-hemorrhagic consequences of mental retardation and cerebral palsy. Further mechanistic studies are warranted to determine the mechanisms behind these neuroprotective effects.
KW - Experimental
KW - Melatonin
KW - Neurological deficits
KW - Stroke
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U2 - 10.1007/978-3-7091-0693-8_34
DO - 10.1007/978-3-7091-0693-8_34
M3 - Conference contribution
C2 - 21725756
SN - 9783709106921
T3 - Acta Neurochirurgica, Supplementum
SP - 201
EP - 206
BT - Intracerebral Hemorrhage Research
PB - Springer-Verlag Wien
ER -