Mondal Victor, Ross-Munro Emily, Firipis Kate, Balasuriya Gayathri K, Kumari Ritu, Hossen Md Munnaf, Nisbet David R, King Glenn F, Williams Richard J, Walker David W, Tolcos Mary, Fleiss Bobbi
School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia (V.M., E.R.-M., G.K.B., R.K., M.M.H., D.W.W., M.T., B.F.).
Department of Medicine, St. Vincent's Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Science (K.F.), The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
Stroke. 2025 Aug;56(8):2337-2347. doi: 10.1161/STROKEAHA.124.050139. Epub 2025 May 22.
Neonatal stroke, occurring within the first 28 days after birth, affects >1 in every 2500 newborns. The weekly adjusted risk of stroke in a term newborn is 3-fold greater than for a male smoker aged 50 to 59 years with diabetes and hypertension. Neonatal stroke has profound clinical and socioeconomic implications, causing cerebral palsy, epilepsy, and various motor, sensory, and cognitive disabilities. Currently, there is no treatment for the brain damage that neonatal stroke causes. Hydrogels, which are networks of hydrophilic polymer chains swollen with water, have tunable elasticity and stiffness, shear-thinning properties, and can deliver therapeutic agents locally in a controlled manner. Thus, they offer significant potential for tissue repair and regeneration. In this review, we synthesize the current knowledge on biocompatible hydrogels, providing insights into how they can be engineered to address the pathophysiology of neonatal stroke and their previous use in repairing severe focal lesions in the adult central nervous system. By exploring cutting-edge hydrogel therapies, this review aims to provide a comprehensive perspective on the potential of hydrogel therapy to improve outcomes for infants suffering from severe brain injury due to neonatal stroke.
新生儿中风发生在出生后的头28天内，每2500名新生儿中就有超过1人受其影响。足月儿每周经调整后的中风风险比患有糖尿病和高血压的50至59岁男性吸烟者高出3倍。新生儿中风具有深远的临床和社会经济影响，会导致脑瘫、癫痫以及各种运动、感觉和认知障碍。目前，对于新生儿中风所造成的脑损伤尚无治疗方法。水凝胶是由亲水聚合物链构成的网络，其中充满了水，具有可调节的弹性和硬度、剪切变稀特性，并且能够以可控方式局部递送治疗剂。因此，它们在组织修复和再生方面具有巨大潜力。在本综述中，我们综合了关于生物相容性水凝胶的现有知识，深入探讨如何对其进行工程设计，以解决新生儿中风的病理生理学问题，以及它们此前在修复成人中枢神经系统严重局灶性病变中的应用。通过探索前沿的水凝胶疗法，本综述旨在全面阐述水凝胶疗法对于改善因新生儿中风而遭受严重脑损伤的婴儿预后的潜力。
