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Eur J Pediatr Surg 2019; 29(04): 352-360
DOI: 10.1055/s-0039-1693994
Review Article
Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

Necrotizing Enterocolitis: State of the Art in Translating Experimental Research to the Bedside

Niloofar Ganji
1   Translational Medicine Program, Division of General and Thoracic Surgery, SickKids Learning Institute, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
,
Bo Li 
1   Translational Medicine Program, Division of General and Thoracic Surgery, SickKids Learning Institute, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
,
Carol Lee
1   Translational Medicine Program, Division of General and Thoracic Surgery, SickKids Learning Institute, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
,
Rachel Filler
1   Translational Medicine Program, Division of General and Thoracic Surgery, SickKids Learning Institute, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
,
Agostino Pierro 
1   Translational Medicine Program, Division of General and Thoracic Surgery, SickKids Learning Institute, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
2   Department of Paediatric Surgery, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
› Author Affiliations
Funding This work was supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Foundation Grant 353857 (recipient: Agostino Pierro) and the Robert M. Filler Chair of Surgery, The Hospital for Sick Children.
Further Information

Publication History

24 June 2019

25 June 2019

Publication Date:
19 August 2019 (online)

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Abstract

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a devastating intestinal disease that continues to have high morbidity and mortality among preterm neonates, despite medical advancements in neonatology and neonatal care. To investigate the pathogenesis of the disease and explore novel form of treatment, a variety of experimental models of NEC have been developed and used by various investigators. These experimental models range from in vitro evaluation of intestinal epithelial cells and intestinal organoids to in vivo models of the disease in neonatal mice, rats, and piglets. Most recently, human-derived intestinal organoids have also been developed and investigated. In this review, we will briefly discuss these experimental models and the contributions that they have made to our understanding of NEC. We will also point to the ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) model of intestinal injury which has been used as an indirect model of NEC by some investigators. Advancements in laboratory research into this devastating disease have continued to expand our knowledge on the pathogenesis and prevention of NEC as well as the effectiveness of therapeutic options for management of this severe disease.

Keywords

necrotizing enterocolitis - organoids - mice - rat - pig

Author Contributions

N.G.: writing—original draft; B.L.: writing—original draft; C.L.: writing—original draft; R.F.: writing—original draft; A.P.: conceptualization, supervision, writing—review, and editing.