Prophylactic Fetal Creatine Supplementation Improves Post-Asphyxial EEG Recovery and Reduces Seizures in Fetal Sheep: Implications for Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to determine whether prophylactic fetal creatine supplementation could reduce acute asphyxia-induced seizures, disordered EEG activity, and cerebral inflammation in a fetal sheep model of hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE).
Results Summary
Creatine supplementation improved EEG recovery, reduced seizure incidence (86% to 29%), and decreased cell death and astrogliosis in the cerebral cortex and periventricular white matter after asphyxia.
Population
Late gestation fetal sheep (118–128 days' gestational age).
Effective Dosage
6 mg/kg/h via continuous intravenous infusion.
Duration
Approximately 7 days (from 121 to 128 days' gestational age).
Interactions
None mentioned
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Creatine supplementation | no change | basal systemic or neurological physiology | fetal sheep | - | had no effects on | #1 |
Creatine supplementation | increase | EEG power and frequency recovery | CrUCO fetuses | - | improved | #2 |
Creatine supplementation | decrease | electrographic seizure incidence | CrUCO fetuses | SalUCO, 86% vs CrUCO, 29% | reduced | #3 |
Creatine supplementation | decrease | cell death in the cerebral cortex | CrUCO fetuses | - | reduced | #4 |
Creatine supplementation | decrease | astrogliosis in the periventricular white matter | CrUCO fetuses | - | reduced | #5 |
Creatine supplementation | decrease | post-asphyxial seizures | - | - | reduced | #6 |
Creatine supplementation | increase | EEG recovery | - | - | improved | #7 |
OBJECTIVE: Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) is a major cause of perinatal brain injury. Creatine is a dietary supplement that can increase intracellular phosphocreatine to improve the provision of intracellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP) to meet the increase in metabolic demand of oxygen deprivation. Here, we assessed prophylactic fetal creatine supplementation in reducing acute asphyxia-induced seizures, disordered electroencephalography (EEG) activity and cerebral inflammation and cell death histopathology. METHODS: Fetal sheep (118 ± 1 days' gestational age [dGA]; 0.8 gestation) were implanted with electrodes to continuously record EEG and nuchal electromyogram activity. At 121 dGA, fetuses were randomly assigned to sham control (i.v. saline infusion without umbilical cord occlusion [UCO]; SalCon), continuous i.v. creatine infusion (6 mg/kg/h; CrUCO) or isovolumetric saline (SalUCO) followed by UCO at 128 ± 2 dGA that lasted until the mean arterial blood pressure reached 19 mmHg. Brain tissue was collected for histopathology after 72 hours of recovery. RESULTS: Creatine supplementation had no effects on basal systemic or neurological physiology. UCO duration did not differ between CrUCO and SalUCO. After reperfusion, CrUCO fetuses had improved EEG power and frequency recovery and reduced electrographic seizure incidence (SalUCO, 86% vs CrUCO, 29%) and burden. At 72 hours after UCO, cell death in the cerebral cortex and astrogliosis in the periventricular white matter were reduced in CrUCO fetuses compared with SalUCO. INTERPRETATION: Creatine supplementation reduced post-asphyxial seizures and improved EEG recovery. Improvements in functional recovery with creatine were associated with regional reductions in cell death and astrogliosis. Prophylactic creatine treatment has the potential to mitigate functional indices of HIE in the late gestation fetal brain. ANN NEUROL 2025;97:673-687.