Mammas Ioannis N, Spandidos Demetrios A
Institute of Paediatric Virology, Aliveri, 34500 Island of Euboea, Greece.
Paediatric Clinic, Aliveri, 34500 Island of Euboea, Greece.
Exp Ther Med. 2020 Dec;20(6):294. doi: 10.3892/etm.2020.9424. Epub 2020 Oct 30.
Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a sight-threatening disorder of the retina affecting neonates of very low birth weight and gestational age, and is characterized by the development of abnormal blood vessel growth. According to Dr Dimitra Skondra, Associate Professor of Ophthalmology and Vitreoretinal Surgeon at the University of Chicago School of Medicine in Chicago, USA, the neonatal gut microbiome may be implicated in the neoangiogenesis process in the neonatal retina and this role may be one of the missing links in the pathogenesis of ROP. The human gut microbiome consists of bacteria, viruses, protozoa and fungi, which colonize the sterile fetal intestine, and differ depending on gestational age, mode of delivery, type of neonatal feeding, the usage of antibiotics and the requirement of neonatal intensive care. To date, it has been related to multiple nutritive, metabolic and immunological functions and has been implicated in the pathogenesis of several human diseases, such as the inflammatory bowel diseases, autoimmune and neurogenerative disorders, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular diseases and various types of malignant neoplasias. Recent research has proposed that the neonatal gut microbiome profile in high-risk neonates who develop ROP is significantly enriched with Enterobacteriacaea species several weeks prior to the diagnosis of ROP. Further research using animal models is required to prove the causative or secondary role of the microbiome composition in the development and clinical course of ROP. If this role is proven, the gut microbiome could then be a target of intervention for personalized medicine in the prevention and therapeutic management of ROP in neonates.
早产儿视网膜病变（ROP）是一种威胁视力的视网膜疾病，影响极低出生体重和孕周的新生儿，其特征是异常血管生长的发展。据美国芝加哥大学医学院眼科副教授兼玻璃体视网膜外科医生迪米特拉·斯孔德拉博士称，新生儿肠道微生物群可能与新生儿视网膜的新生血管形成过程有关，而这一作用可能是ROP发病机制中缺失的环节之一。人类肠道微生物群由细菌、病毒、原生动物和真菌组成，它们定植于无菌的胎儿肠道，且因孕周、分娩方式、新生儿喂养类型、抗生素使用情况以及新生儿重症监护需求的不同而有所差异。迄今为止，它已与多种营养、代谢和免疫功能相关，并与几种人类疾病的发病机制有关，如炎症性肠病、自身免疫性和神经退行性疾病、代谢综合征、心血管疾病以及各种类型的恶性肿瘤。最近的研究表明，在ROP高危新生儿中，在ROP诊断前几周，其肠道微生物群谱中肠杆菌科物种显著富集。需要使用动物模型进行进一步研究，以证明微生物群组成在ROP发生发展和临床过程中的因果或次要作用。如果这一作用得到证实，那么肠道微生物群可能成为新生儿ROP预防和治疗个性化医学干预的靶点。
