Does Antenatal Allopurinol Administration Reduce Post-hypoxic-ischemic Reperfusion Damage During Fetal Hypoxia in the Newborn?

A former study (submitted) in 32 severely asphyxiated infants participating in a randomized double blind study, in which early postnatal allopurinol or a placebo (within 4 hours after birth) was administered to reduce free radical formation and consequently reperfusion/reoxygenation injury to the newborn brain, showed an unaltered high mortality and no clinically relevant improvement in morbidity in infants treated with allopurinol. It was hypothesized that postnatal allopurinol treatment started too late to reduce reperfusion-induced free radical surge and that initiating allopurinol treatment of the fetus with (imminent) hypoxia already via the mother during labor will be more effective to reduce free radical-induced post-asphyxial brain damage.