Figure 2 - uploaded by Vikki G Nolan
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Histology of preterm pig jejunum after 96 hours of parenteral nutrition supplemented with lactated Ringer's intravenously (A) or enterally (B) or the oral fluid supplement (C). Micrographs of hematoxylin and eosin-stained tissues were captured at ×100.
Source publication
Background: Nutrients and electrolytes in amniotic fluid swallowed by fetuses are important for growth and development. Yet, preterm infants requiring parenteral nutrition (PN) receive minimal or no oral inputs. With the limited availability of amniotic fluid, we evaluated the responses of preterm pigs receiving PN to an oral fluid supplement (OFS)...
Context in source publication
Context 1
... lengths of small intestine per kilogram of body mass for control pigs receiving LR-IV and LR-EN (232 ± 13 cm/kg and 249 ± 6 cm/kg) were comparable to those of pigs receiving the OFS (244 ± 16 cm/kg). However, total small intestine mass of OFS pigs was greater (P < .05) than control pigs receiving LR-IV but not when the LR was delivered orally. The differ- ences between the LR-IV and OFS groups were more apparent in the mid and distal regions (Figure 1). Although OFS pigs did not have longer villi compared with LR-IV and LR-EN indi- vidually (Table 3), the enterocytes of OFS pigs had inclusions consistent with the accumulation of lipid (Figure 2) that were absent in the LR-IV and LR-EN pigs. Crypt depths of LR-IV and LR-EN were comparable in all 3 regions and, compared with OFS pigs, were not as deep in the mid and distal regions. Because most organs grow in proportion to body weight gain, most organ weights were normalized to body weight to account for variation in body size. Pigs receiving the OFS had heavier livers per kilogram of body weight compared with LR-IV and LR-EN pigs, which were similar ( Figure 3A). Treatment differences were also detected for the relative weight of the kidneys but with values for LR-EN pigs ( Figure 3B) lower compared with LR-IV and even more so compared with the larger kidneys of OFS pigs. Absolute brain weight is pre- sented without normalizing to body weight because brain weight of preterm pigs does not scale with body mass and is independent of somatic growth (our unpublished data). As a result, normalizing brain weight to body weight increases rather than decreases individual variation. Surprisingly, absolute total brain weight of OFS pigs was greater (P = .04) compared with pigs receiving LR, either IV or EN, that had brain weights that were similar ( Figure 3C). Lung mass for the OFS pigs was lower relative to LR-IV and LR-EN pigs ( Figure 3D). Although dry lung mass was not measured, the lungs of the OFS pigs appeared less atelectatic. Treatment differences were not detected for weight of the ...
Citations
... However, preterm infants often miss this critical time period in utero and are regularly provided parenteral feedings, thereby circumventing gut stimulation. A preterm piglet model has shown that provision of an oral fluid supplement, formulated to mimic the nutrient and electrolyte composition of amniotic fluid, results in increased brain weights compared with that of piglets that receive lactated Ringer solution either intravenously or enterally (83). Furthermore, Cao et al. (84) demonstrated that development of physical activity in preterm piglets was dependent on the route of supplement provision in the early postnatal period. ...
Optimal nutrition early in life is critical to ensure proper structural and functional development of infant organ systems. Although pediatric nutrition historically has emphasized research on the relation between nutrition, growth rates, and gastrointestinal maturation, efforts increasingly have focused on how nutrition influences neurodevelopment. The provision of human milk is considered the gold standard in pediatric nutrition; thus, there is interest in understanding how functional nutrients and bioactive components in milk may modulate developmental processes. The piglet has emerged as an important translational model for studying neurodevelopmental outcomes influenced by pediatric nutrition. Given the comparable nutritional requirements and strikingly similar brain developmental patterns between young pigs and humans, the piglet is being used increasingly in developmental nutritional neuroscience studies. The piglet primarily has been used to assess the effects of dietary fatty acids and their accretion in the brain throughout neurodevelopment. However, recent research indicates that other dietary components, including choline, iron, cholesterol, gangliosides, and sialic acid, among other compounds, also affect neurodevelopment in the pig model. Moreover, novel analytical techniques, including but not limited to MRI, behavioral assessments, and molecular quantification, allow for a more holistic understanding of how nutrition affects neurodevelopmental patterns. By combining early-life nutritional interventions with innovative analytical approaches, opportunities abound to quantify factors affecting neurodevelopmental trajectories in the neonate. This review discusses research using the translational pig model with primary emphasis on early-life nutrition interventions assessing neurodevelopment outcomes, while also discussing nutritionally-sensitive methods to characterize brain maturation.
