How does arginine impact the pathogenesis of Necrotizing Enterocolitis and Sepsis?
Arginine is a conditionally essential amino acid that can play a major role in blood flow and the progression of an inflammatory response because it can be converted into nitric oxide (NO). However, it is unclear if arginine or its precursor citrulline should be supplemented to critically ill or preterm patients. Our goal is to understand the precise role arginine plays in an inflammatory response, and if the preterm infant’s immune system responds differently to arginine supplementation than a term infant or adult patient.
Do perinatal glucocorticoids improve development of the gut and liver in preterm infants?
Many preterm infants are exposed to glucocorticoids (steroids) like cortisol, betamethasone or dexamethasone, around the time of birth because mothers at risk of preterm birth are given one to two doses of glucocorticoids before birth to stimulate the rapid maturation of the infant’s lungs. We have preliminary evidence that this glucocorticoid exposure may affect the infant’s gut and liver. Our goal with this project is to understand how glucocorticoids are affecting the maturation of the gut and liver so we can make more informed clinical choices about glucocorticoid use in neonatology or develop novel targeted therapies.