The Kynurenic Acid Analog SZR72 Enhances Neuronal Activity after Asphyxia but Is Not Neuroprotective in a Translational Model of Neonatal Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy

Hypoxic–ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) remains to be a major cause of long-term neurodevelopmental deficits in term neonates. Hypothermia offers partial neuroprotection warranting research for additional therapies. Kynurenic acid (KYNA), an endogenous product of tryptophan metabolism, was previously shown to be beneficial in rat HIE models. We sought to determine if the KYNA analog SZR72 would afford neuroprotection in piglets. After severe asphyxia (pHa = 6.83 ± 0.02, ΔBE = −17.6 ± 1.2 mmol/L, mean ± SEM), anesthetized piglets were assigned to vehicle-treated (VEH), SZR72-treated (SZR72), or hypothermia-treated (HT) groups (n = 6, 6, 6; Tcore = 38.5, 38.5, 33.5 °C, respectively). Compared to VEH, serum KYNA levels were elevated, recovery of EEG was faster, and EEG power spectral density values were higher at 24 h in the SZR72 group. However, instantaneous entropy indicating EEG signal complexity, depression of the visual evoked potential (VEP), and the significant neuronal damage observed in the neocortex, the putamen, and the CA1 hippocampal field were similar in these groups. In the caudate nucleus and the CA3 hippocampal field, neuronal damage was even more severe in the SZR72 group. The HT group showed the best preservation of EEG complexity, VEP, and neuronal integrity in all examined brain regions. In summary, SZR72 appears to enhance neuronal activity after asphyxia but does not ameliorate early neuronal damage in this HIE model.