Haematopoietic growth factors in neonatal brain injury: Effect of G-CSF, SCF and FL on excitotoxic brain injury, short and long-term outcome

Aims: We have shown before that stem cell factor (SCF) and granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (GCSF) alone or in combination increase excitotoxic brain injury and developmental apoptosis when given in the acute phase of brain damage in contrast to results obtained in adult animals. Hypothesis: Since this effect was attributed to proinflammatory stimuli of the cytokines during the acute phase of brain injury, we hypothesized that the delayed administration of either GCSF/SCF or flt3-ligand (FL), another haematopoietic growth factor known to stimulate stem cell release, reduces excitotoxic injury. In addition w…