MRI Visualization of Melatonin-Promoted Oligodendrogenesis and Its Neuroprotective Effects in Preterm White Matter Injury Rat Model.

Authors

Xiaozu Zhang, Peilun Xiao, Xiaotian Gao, Haimo Zhang, Zhigang Yang, Youcheng Qin, Chunlei Zhang, Yinuo Li, Xin Wang, Jing Sui, Xiaoli Wang

Published in

Journal of pineal research. Volume 78. Issue 6. Pages e70190.

Abstract

Preterm white matter injury (PWMI) is a serious neurologic condition that threatens neonatal survival and severely impairs the cognitive and motor development of affected children. Melatonin (Mel), a neuroendocrine hormone with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, has shown neuroprotective potential in neonatal brain injury, although the mechanisms underlying its effects in PWMI remain incompletely understood. In this study, we established a neonatal rat model of PWMI and combined multimodal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with histological analyses to investigate the effects of Mel on oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) proliferation, differentiation, and subsequent white matter development. We discovered that Mel administration increased cerebral oxygenation and blood flow, thereby altering the cerebral metabolic microenvironment and mitigating white matter damage caused by hypoxic-ischemic injury. Moreover, Mel promoted the proliferation of OPCs and exerted neuroprotective effects by activating the protein kinase B (AKT)/glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta (GSK-3β)/β-catenin signaling pathway. In addition, Mel treatment facilitated neural fiber formation in distant white matter regions of PWMI models, ultimately alleviating cognitive and motor impairments in affected rats. Collectively, these findings suggest that Mel facilitates oligodendrogenesis and white matter repair after PWMI, at least in part through modulation of the AKT/GSK-3β/β-catenin pathway. Multimodal MRI can provide a useful noninvasive approach for monitoring treatment-related changes in white matter injury and development, supporting further investigation of Mel as a potential therapeutic strategy for PWMI.

PMID:
42836739
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 06 Oct 2026.

Read full publication at:
Please sign in to see all details.

Stats

1-terrible, 9-excellent. How would you rate this publication? Sign in in to submit your rating.

Post a comment

You need to be signed in to post comments. You can sign in here.

Comments

There are no comments yet.