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Review
. 2025 Oct;21(7):1978-1996.
doi: 10.1007/s12015-025-10905-9. Epub 2025 Jun 5.

Translational Potential of Stem Cell-based Therapies in the Treatment of Neonatal Hypoxic-ischemic Brain Injury

Paulina Gebala  1   2 , Justyna Janowska  1 , Joanna Sypecka  3
Affiliations
Review

Translational Potential of Stem Cell-based Therapies in the Treatment of Neonatal Hypoxic-ischemic Brain Injury

Paulina Gebala et al. Stem Cell Rev Rep. 2025 Oct.

Abstract

Neonatal hypoxia-ischemia is a leading cause of neonatal death in both developed and developing countries. The consequences of hypoxic-ischemic injury affect the rest of the child's life, often resulting in intellectual or motor disability that persists into adulthood. To date, therapeutic hypothermia (TH) appears to be the only available intervention aimed at limiting brain injury and is recognized as the "gold standard" in neonatal intensive care. The basic mechanisms of neuroprotection achieved by temporal cooling involve the reduction of free radical activity, suppression of the inflammatory response after reperfusion and increased neuronal cell survival. However, the protective effects of hypothermia need to be enhanced by additional therapies that can enhance neuroprotection and support neuroregenerative processes. The components derived from the umbilical cord are thought to confer the above-mentioned beneficial effects. This review summarizes the clinical trials based on stem cell transplantation or umbilical cord milking and presents their effects when supported by official data. The great promise associated with the application of stem cells to neonates suffering from perinatal asphyxia is discussed in the context of the results of their clinical use.

Keywords: Cell-based therapies; Hypoxic-ischemic injury; Neonatal brain; Neuroprotection; Neuroregeneration; Stem cells.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics Approval and Consent to Participate: Not applicable. Consent for Publication: Not applicable. Conflict of interest: The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Clinical approach to deal with consequences of neonatal hypoxic-ischemic brain injury. Therapeutic hypothermia (head cooling vs. whole body cooling) is aimed at limiting the spread of injury, while stem cells are used to boost neuroprotection and neuroregeneration in the neonatal, injured brain
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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