Newborns have brain hypoxia, parents should pay attention!

Neonatal cerebral hypoxia is a very serious condition that can have a great impact on the child's growth and development. Its main inducing factors include brain cell energy metabolism failure, Ca2 influx and reperfusion injury, and the effects of oxygen free radicals.

1. Brain cell energy metabolism failure

When hypoxia occurs, oxidative metabolism in cells is impaired and they can only rely on anaerobic glucose glycolysis to produce energy. At the same time, a large amount of lactic acid is produced and accumulates in the cells, leading to intracellular acidosis and cerebral edema.

Since the energy produced by anaerobic glycolysis is far less than that of aerobic metabolism, it must be compensated by increasing glycogenolysis and glucose uptake, which causes secondary energy failure, resulting in damaged ion pump function on the cell membrane, increased sodium, calcium and water in the cell, and causing cell swelling and dissolution.

2. Ca2 influx

When hypoxia occurs, calcium pump activity weakens, leading to calcium influx. When the intracellular Ca2 concentration is too high, enzymes regulated by Ca2 outflow are activated. Activated phospholipase can decompose membrane phospholipids to produce a large amount of arachidonic acid, which, under the action of cyclooxygenase and lipoxygenase, forms prostacyclin, thromboxane and leukotrienes.

Activation of nucleases can cause decomposition and destruction of nucleic acids. Protease activation can catalyze xanthine dehydrogenase into xanthine oxidase, which catalyzes hypoxanthine into xanthine when restoring oxygen supply and blood flow, while producing free radicals, further aggravating the damage to nerve cells.

3. Reperfusion injury and the role of oxygen free radicals

During hypoxia-ischemia, the production of oxygen free radicals increases and their clearance decreases. A large amount of oxygen free radicals accumulate in the body, damaging cell membranes, proteins and nucleic acids, causing destruction of cell structure and function.

Among oxygen free radicals, hydroxyl free radicals are the most harmful to the body. Xanthine oxidase and dehydrogenase are mainly concentrated in the endothelial cells of the microvessels, causing damage to the vascular endothelium, destroying the structure and integrity of the blood-brain barrier, and forming vasogenic cerebral edema.