SBDPs and Tau proteins for diagnosis and hypothermia therapy in neonatal hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy
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Updated: Mar 8, 2026
Early Pathological and Magnetic Resonance Detection of Cerebral Injury Using a Rat Model of Neonatal Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy
Published on: October 28, 2022
Hongwei Wu1, Zhenguang Li1, Xia Yang1
1Department of Neonatology, Xuzhou Children's Hospital, Xuzhou, Jiangsu 221002, P.R. China.
Insights
Spectrin breakdown products (SBDPs) and Tau protein levels aid in diagnosing neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). Mild hypothermia therapy significantly improves neural development outcomes in HIE infants compared to regular treatment.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal neurology
- Biomarker discovery
- Therapeutic hypothermia
Background:
- Neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) is a serious condition requiring effective diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.
- Early identification and intervention are crucial for improving neurodevelopmental outcomes in affected infants.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate spectrin breakdown products (SBDPs) and Tau protein as biomarkers for HIE diagnosis.
- To assess the efficacy of mild hypothermia therapy in treating HIE compared to standard care.
Main Methods:
- Plasma concentrations of SBDPs and Tau proteins were measured using ELISA in 150 HIE infants and 30 controls.
- Infants received either regular therapy or mild hypothermia therapy based on HIE severity.
- Neonatal Behavioral Neurological Assessment (NBNA) and Gesell development scale were used for clinical follow-up.
Main Results:
- SBDP and Tau protein levels correlated with HIE severity and decreased with therapy duration.
- Mild hypothermia therapy resulted in significantly lower SBDP and Tau levels and better NBNA/DQ scores than regular therapy.
- ROC analysis indicated high sensitivity and specificity for SBDPs (84.6%/87.5%) and Tau protein (79.5%/96.9%) in HIE diagnosis.
Conclusions:
- SBDPs and Tau proteins are valuable biomarkers for early HIE diagnosis.
- Early application of mild hypothermia therapy significantly enhances neurodevelopmental outcomes in HIE patients.
- These findings offer improved approaches for HIE evaluation and treatment.
Abstract:
The use of spectrin breakdown products (SBDPs) and Tau protein levels for diagnosis and a mild hypothermia therapy for treatment of neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) was evaluated. One hundred and fifty infants, with HIE within 12 h after birth, participated in the study. There were 30 newborns with mild symptoms, 60 with moderate symptoms, 60 with severe symptoms, and 30 in a control group. Regular therapy was used for the control and the mild HIE groups, and also for 30 cases in the group with moderate symptoms and for 30 in the group with severe symptoms. For the remaining infants, with moderate and severe symptoms, mild hypothermia therapy was used instead. A sandwich ELISA measured plasma concentrations of SBDPs and Tau proteins, at different time-points. For clinical follow-up, the neonatal behavioral neurological assessment (NBNA) assay and the Gesell development scale were performed at different time-points. The levels of SBDP and Tau proteins increased with the exacerbation of HIE, and decreased with the prolongation of therapy with statistically significant differences amongst groups. After treatment, the levels of SBDP and Tau proteins in groups with moderate and severe symptoms treated with mild hypothermia therapy were significantly lower than those of the groups treated with regular therapy. NBNA scores and the developmental quotient (DQ) were both worse with the increase in severity of HIE, however, the scores of groups with moderate and severe symptoms treated with mild hypothermia therapy were significantly better than those of groups treated with regular therapy (P<0.05). A gradual improvement of DQ was seen in the process of therapy in each group (P<0.05). According to a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, at a critical plasma concentration of SBDPs of 1.58 ng/ml, the sensitivity and specificity for HIE diagnosis was 84.6 and 87.5%, respectively. The ROC analysis for Tau protein yielded a sensitivity and specificity of 79.5 and 96.9%, respectively, at a critical plasma concentration of 4.76 pg/ml. Given our results, SBDPs and Tau proteins are very useful for the early diagnosis of HIE. Early application of mild hypothermia therapy for the treatment of HIE can greatly improve the function of neural development. These findings should greatly improve the evaluation and treatment approaches for HIE.
