Xia Jason, Claud Erika C
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champion, Champaign, IL 61801, USA.
Department of Pediatrics and Medicine, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA.
Microorganisms. 2023 Apr 15;11(4):1035. doi: 10.3390/microorganisms11041035.
Necrotizing Enterocolitis (NEC) is characterized by an inflammation of intestinal tissue that primarily affects premature infants. It is the most common and devastating gastrointestinal morbidity of prematurity, but beyond intestinal morbidity, this condition has also been associated with an increased risk of neurodevelopmental delays that persist beyond infancy. Prematurity, enteral feeding, bacterial colonization, and prolonged exposure to antibiotics are all risk factors that predispose preterm infants to NEC. Interestingly, these factors are all also associated with the gut microbiome. However, whether or not there is a connection between the microbiome and the risk of neurodevelopmental delays in infants after NEC is still an emerging area of research. Furthermore, how microbes in the gut could impact a distant organ such as the brain is also poorly understood. In this review, we discuss the current understanding of NEC and the role of the gut microbiome-brain axis in neurodevelopmental outcomes after NEC. Understanding the potential role of the microbiome in neurodevelopmental outcomes is important as the microbiome is modifiable and thus offers the hope of improved therapeutic options. We highlight the progress and limitations in this field. Insights into the gut microbiome-brain axis may offer potential therapeutic approaches to improve the long-term outcomes of premature infants.
坏死性小肠结肠炎（NEC）的特征是肠道组织炎症，主要影响早产儿。它是早产最常见且最具破坏性的胃肠道疾病，但除了肠道疾病外，这种情况还与婴儿期后持续存在的神经发育迟缓风险增加有关。早产、肠内喂养、细菌定植以及长期接触抗生素都是使早产儿易患NEC的危险因素。有趣的是，这些因素也都与肠道微生物群有关。然而，NEC后婴儿肠道微生物群与神经发育迟缓风险之间是否存在关联仍是一个新兴的研究领域。此外，肠道中的微生物如何影响像大脑这样的 distant 器官也知之甚少。在这篇综述中，我们讨论了目前对NEC的认识以及肠道微生物群 - 脑轴在NEC后神经发育结局中的作用。了解微生物群在神经发育结局中的潜在作用很重要，因为微生物群是可调节的，因此有望提供更好的治疗选择。我们强调了该领域的进展和局限性。对肠道微生物群 - 脑轴的深入了解可能会提供潜在的治疗方法，以改善早产儿的长期结局。
