Acid Reflux Drug- a new treatment option for hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy: Study

"However, very few drug targets capable of inducing oligodendrocyte formation have been identified," says Weiwei Hu, a professor at Zhejiang University School of Medicine in Hangzhou and the senior author of the new study.

Hu and colleagues found that a protein known as the histamine H2 receptor inhibits the formation of mature oligodendrocytes capable of restoring the brain's white matter after injury. Mice lacking the histamine H2receptor recovered better from neonatal hypoxia-ischemia, regenerating more of their white matter and showing improved motor skills and cognitive function.

Cimetidine and other drugs that target the histamine H2 receptor are already used to treat acid reflux in newborn children. Hu and colleagues found that treating mice with cimetidine also improved the animals' recovery from hypoxia-ischemia. Crucially—given that HIE is often only diagnosed several months after birth—even delayed treatment with cimetidine was effective in restoring the mice's white matter.

"Given the present application of histamine H2 receptor blockers in preterm and full-term infants, our study suggests that they could also be a safe and effective treatment for neonatal HIE," Hu says.

https://rupress.org/jem/article/218/1/e20191365/152128/Histamine-H2-receptor-negatively-regulates