Role of gut-brain axis in neurodevelopmental impairment of necrotizing enterocolitis

Yu Wang; Chengcheng Hang; Jun Hu; Chen Li; Canyang Zhan; Jiarong Pan; Tianming Yuan

doi:10.3389/fnins.2023.1059552

Role of gut-brain axis in neurodevelopmental impairment of necrotizing enterocolitis

Front Neurosci. 2023 Jan 19:17:1059552. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1059552. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Yu Wang¹, Chengcheng Hang¹, Jun Hu², Chen Li¹, Canyang Zhan¹, Jiarong Pan¹, Tianming Yuan¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Neonatology, Children's Hospital of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
² Department of Surgical Intensive Care Unit, Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.

Abstract

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a common gastrointestinal disease of preterm infants with high morbidity and mortality. In survivors of NEC, one of the leading causes of long-term morbidity is the development of severe neurocognitive injury. The exact pathogenesis of neurodevelopmental delay in NEC remains unknown, but microbiota is considered to have dramatic effects on the development and function of the host brain via the gut-brain axis. In this review, we discuss the characteristics of microbiota of NEC, the impaired neurological outcomes, and the role of the complex interplay between the intestinal microbiota and brain to influence neurodevelopment in NEC. The increasing knowledge of microbial-host interactions has the potential to generate novel therapies for manipulating brain development in the future.

Keywords: gut-brain axis; microbiota; necrotizing enterocolitis; neurodevelopmental impairment; neurodevelopmental outcomes.

Publication types

Review

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the Zhejiang Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Therapy of Neonatal Diseases, Key Laboratory of Reproductive Genetics (Zhejiang University), Ministry of Education, and by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 82001587).