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Necrotizing enterocolitis: recent advances in treatment with translational potential

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Abstract

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is one of the most prevalent and devastating gastrointestinal disorders in neonates. Despite advances in neonatal care, the incidence and mortality due to NEC remain high, highlighting the need to devise novel treatments for this disease. There have been a number of recent advancements in therapeutic approaches for the treatment of NEC; these involve remote ischemic conditioning (RIC), stem cell therapy, breast milk components (human milk oligosaccharides, exosomes, lactoferrin), fecal microbiota transplantation, and immunotherapy. This review summarizes the most recent advances in NEC treatment currently underway as well as their applicability and associated challenges and limitations, with the aim to provide new insight into the paradigm of care for NEC worldwide.

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Acknowledgements

This work was also supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Foundation Grant 353857 (recipient: Agostino Pierro) and the Restracomp Scholarship (recipient: Niloofar Ganji).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Niloofar Ganji & Agostino Pierro

  2. Translational Medicine, Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Niloofar Ganji, Bo Li, Carol Lee & Agostino Pierro

  3. Division of General and Thoracic Surgery, The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, 1526-555 University Ave, Toronto, ON, M5G 1X8, Canada

    Agostino Pierro

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  1. Niloofar Ganji
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Niloofar Ganji, Bo Li, and Carol Lee were involved in writing the original draft. Agostino Pierro was involved in conceptualization, supervision, writing and review.

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Ganji, N., Li, B., Lee, C. et al. Necrotizing enterocolitis: recent advances in treatment with translational potential. Pediatr Surg Int 39, 205 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00383-023-05476-0

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