Author:
Lambert Rompis Johnny,Yolanda Natharina
Abstract
Neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) is a severe form of neonatal brain damage caused by decreased cerebral blood flow and hypoxia and can cause various serious irreversible neurological sequelae. An early diagnosis of HIE is essential for subsequent treatment and prognosis. Caspase, a protease enzyme that has an essential role in the apoptosis of programmed cell death, is one of the promising biomarkers for diagnosing HIE. Caspase-3 is recognized for its activated proteolytic apoptosis role in cells responding to specific extrinsic or intrinsic inducers of this mode of cell death. Caspase-3 is activated within 1 to 3 hours after neonatal hypoxic-ischemia and is a principal executioner of apoptosis. The role of caspase-3 in apoptosis, pyroptosis, necroptosis, and autophagy might be more profound than its role in cell death. Such functions of caspase-3 require further exploration, however, as there are still many possibilities for its roles in clinical diagnosis and treatment.