Research progress of melatonin in neonatal ischemic encephalopathy

Neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy(HIE)is the brain injury caused by asphyxiation in the perinatal period.HIE is a serious health-threatening disease associated with significant morbidity and mortality, and there is no effective treatment for the disease.Melatonin is a neuroendocrine hormone, which is synthesized primarily by the pineal gland.The synthesis and seretion of melatonin are regulated by light intensity.Melatonin has a high affinity for the central nervous system, which can easily penetrate the blood-brain barrier and blood placental barrier.It has been found that melatonin has functions in regulating the sleep cycle, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory.Melatonin has also been shown to regulate lipid and glucose metabolism.Recent research suggests that the melatonin appears to be a versatile anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic agent, as well as a molecule with regulation of mitochondrial function and autophagy process, and plays a neuroprotective role in HIE.Therefore, this review focuses on the established mechanisms of injury brain protection, progress of animal studies and clinical trials of melatonin in HIE, to provide references for its clinical application. Key words: Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy; Melatonin; Neuroprotection; Newborn