Promising Treatments and Novel Therapeutic Approaches for the Management of Necrotizing Enterocolitis.

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a deadly intestinal disease that most commonly occurs in premature infants. Current treatments are reactive rather than preventative, and include feeding cessation, antibiotics, gastric decompression, and supportive care. In severe NEC, surgical intervention is required for intestinal perforation or failure of medical management. Promising treatment modalities are being explored to prevent NEC and reduce NEC severity, including probiotics, probiotic delivery systems, growth factors, stem cell and small molecule therapeutics, human milk oligosaccharides, and hydrogen sulfide derivatives. These advancements show great potential to prevent and/or treat NEC, as well as reduce long-term complications in NEC survivors.