Antibiotics target brain’s inflammatory response
No drugs have been specifically developed to treat traumatic brain injuries (TBI), but a new study shows that an FDA-approved antibiotic targets the inflammatory process and could potentially be a viable option for doctors in treating TBI patients. An article about the study, which was published Jan. 11, explains that traumatic brain injury is one […]
No drugs have been specifically developed to treat traumatic brain injuries ( TBI), but a new study shows that an FDA-approved antibiotic targets the inflammatory process and could potentially be a viable option for doctors in treating TBI patients.
An article about the study, which was published Jan. 11, explains that traumatic brain injury is one of the leading causes of disability and death in infants and children in the United States, with more than half a million affected annually, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Those under age four who experience brain trauma can suffer lifelong problems with memory, attention and other executive functions.
“While there are no drugs available to treat these injuries, scientists have shown that certain antibiotics — which inhibit the brain’s inflammatory response — can improve outcomes for adult animal models that have suffered a blow to the head,” the article on News Medical Life Sciences reads. “However, this treatment seems to negatively affect brains that have not yet developed, according to a new study from Drexel University College of Medicine. When administered to newborn rats immediately after head injury, the FDA-approved antibiotic minocycline exacerbated cognitive deficits, says the study, which was published in the journal of Experimental Neurology.”
The reason being that a developing brain is not the same as a fully mature brain, according to Ramesh Raghupathi, PhD, a professor of neurobiology and anatomy in the College of Medicine.
“The drug minocycline works by decreasing the activation of microglia — the primary immune cells in the brain and spinal cord that protect against foreign pathogens,” the article reads. “Inhibiting microglia appears to be an effective strategy to prevent long-term brain damage, since studies have shown an association between increased activity of these cells and neuron degeneration. And repurposing FDA-approved drugs to fit a new medical need is a desirable approach.”
Raghupathi said he believes the antibiotic had an adverse effect on the neonate rats, because microglia play an important role during early brain development: These cells clear out dead neurons and debris to make a path for surviving neurons to function normally. By targeting the microglia in the pediatric animal model, the antibiotics seemed to prevent the brain from undergoing its natural maturation process, according to the article.
“While treating acute inflammation in the pediatric brain may not be effective, the researchers hypothesize that extending the window of intervention could have more positive outcomes.”
