State-of-the-art review and update of in vivo models of necrotizing enterocolitis

Bautista, Geoanna; Cera, Anjali J.; Chaaban, Hala; McElroy, Steven J.

doi:10.3389/fped.2023.1161342

Cited by 6 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 132 publications

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“…NEC most frequently affects the terminal ileum but also regularly involves the (proximal) colon [8,9]. Most in vivo experimental studies investigating NEC pathophysiology focus on the small intestine [10]. Colonic barrier changes associated with NEC development, particularly those of the important mucus barrier, remain under-investigated.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Antenatal Ureaplasma Infection Causes Colonic Mucus Barrier Defects: Implications for Intestinal Pathologies

van Gorp,

de Lange,

Hütten

et al. 2024

IJMS

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Chorioamnionitis is a risk factor for necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). Ureaplasma parvum (UP) is clinically the most isolated microorganism in chorioamnionitis, but its pathogenicity remains debated. Chorioamnionitis is associated with ileal barrier changes, but colonic barrier alterations, including those of the mucus barrier, remain under-investigated, despite their importance in NEC pathophysiology. Therefore, in this study, the hypothesis that antenatal UP exposure disturbs colonic mucus barrier integrity, thereby potentially contributing to NEC pathogenesis, was investigated. In an established ovine chorioamnionitis model, lambs were intra-amniotically exposed to UP or saline for 7 d from 122 to 129 d gestational age. Thereafter, colonic mucus layer thickness and functional integrity, underlying mechanisms, including endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and redox status, and cellular morphology by transmission electron microscopy were studied. The clinical significance of the experimental findings was verified by examining colon samples from NEC patients and controls. UP-exposed lambs have a thicker but dysfunctional colonic mucus layer in which bacteria-sized beads reach the intestinal epithelium, indicating undesired bacterial contact with the epithelium. This is paralleled by disturbed goblet cell MUC2 folding, pro-apoptotic ER stress and signs of mitochondrial dysfunction in the colonic epithelium. Importantly, the colonic epithelium from human NEC patients showed comparable mitochondrial aberrations, indicating that NEC-associated intestinal barrier injury already occurs during chorioamnionitis. This study underlines the pathogenic potential of UP during pregnancy; it demonstrates that antenatal UP infection leads to severe colonic mucus barrier deficits, providing a mechanistic link between antenatal infections and postnatal NEC development.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Antenatal Ureaplasma Infection Causes Colonic Mucus Barrier Defects: Implications for Intestinal Pathologies

van Gorp,

de Lange,

Hütten

et al. 2024

IJMS

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The phenotype of necrotizing enterocolitis correlates with distinct changes of intestinal junctional proteins

Kollmann,

Niklas,

Ernestus

et al. 2025

Pathology - Research and Practice

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Nursing practice of routine gastric aspiration in preterm infants and its link to necrotizing enterocolitis: is the practice still clinically relevant?

Elsayed Ramadan,

Alruwaili,

Alruwaili

et al. 2024

BMC Nurs

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The practice of routine gastric residual aspiration in preterm infants remains controversial, with conflicting evidence regarding its impact on necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). As front-line caregivers, nurses play a vital role in gastric aspiration procedures and must be informed by evidence. This quasi-experimental nursing study aimed to assess whether gastric aspiration is clinically relevant in reducing the risk of NEC in preterm infants.A total of 250 preterm infants from two NICUs in Egypt were allocated to the gastric aspiration (n = 125) and non-aspiration (n = 125) groups. Feeding practices, gastric residuals, and incidence/severity of NEC were compared between groups according to modified Bell’s criteria. Risk factors were analyzed using multivariate regression. There were no significant baseline differences between the groups. The gastric residual attributes and feeding outcomes did not differ substantially from aspiration. The overall incidence of NEC was 14–15%, with no significant differences in the odds of onset or progression of NEC by stage between the groups. Lower gestational age and birth weight emerged as stronger predictors of NEC. Routine gastric aspiration does not appear to directly prevent or reduce the severity of NEC in this population. Although gastric residuals retain clinical importance, study findings question assumptions that aspiration protects against NEC and informs nursing practice. Evidence-based feeding protocols must continually evolve through ongoing research on modifiable risk factors for this devastating intestinal disease in preterm infants.

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State-of-the-art review and update of in vivo models of necrotizing enterocolitis

Cited by 6 publications

References 132 publications

Antenatal Ureaplasma Infection Causes Colonic Mucus Barrier Defects: Implications for Intestinal Pathologies

Antenatal Ureaplasma Infection Causes Colonic Mucus Barrier Defects: Implications for Intestinal Pathologies

The phenotype of necrotizing enterocolitis correlates with distinct changes of intestinal junctional proteins

Nursing practice of routine gastric aspiration in preterm infants and its link to necrotizing enterocolitis: is the practice still clinically relevant?

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