Aycan, N.Demir, D.Ç.Yürektürk, E.Başaranoglu, M.Karaman, S.Tuncer, O.2025-06-302025-06-3020250104-423010.1590/1806-9282.202418892-s2.0-105008521790https://doi.org/10.1590/1806-9282.20241889OBJECTIVE: The diagnosis and prognosis of neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy are established through clinical evidence and laboratory, imaging, and electrophysiological assessments of the nervous system. Netrin-1 was the first axon guidance molecule identified as a critical component of embryonic development in vertebrates and has a solid chemotropic function for angiogenesis, morphogenesis, cell migration, and axonal guidance. It was hypothesized that Netrin-1 will differ at different hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy stages. METHODS: This study included 75 hospitalized hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy newborns and 48 healthy newborns born at the same hospital and followed up only by their mothers. Demographic, laboratory, and Netrin-1 data were evaluated for all hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy stages. RESULTS: Serum Netrin-1 concentrations were significantly greater in patients with moderate and severe hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy who underwent therapeutic hypothermia than in controls and patients with severe hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. However, serum Netrin-1 concentrations were not significantly greater in patients with mild hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy than in controls. In 75 hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy patients, correlations of Netrin-1 with lactate, uric acid, and lactate dehydrogenase were statistically significant (p=0.0001, 0.008, and 0.043, respectively). CONCLUSION: Netrin-1 significantly increased in moderate and severe patients. Therefore, this marker could be a biomarker for staging hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy and therapeutic hypothermia and predicting the prognosis of neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy patients. © 2025 Associacao Medica Brasileira. All rights reserved.eninfo:eu-repo/semantics/closedAccessBiomarkerHypoxic-Ischemic EncephalopathyNetrin-1Term BirthArticle715Q4Q240531771WOS:001511519000005