title: Bovine colostrum improves neonatal growth, digestive function, and gut immunity relative to donor human milk and infant formula in preterm pigs.
abstract: Mother's own milk is the optimal first diet for preterm infants, but donor human milk (DM) or infant formula (IF) is used when supply is limited. We hypothesized that a gradual introduction of bovine colostrum (BC) or DM improves gut maturation, relative to IF during the first 11 days after preterm birth. Preterm pigs were fed gradually advancing doses of BC, DM, or IF (3-15 ml·kg(-1)·3 h(-1), n = 14-18) before measurements of gut structure, function, microbiology, and immunology. The BC pigs showed higher body growth, intestinal hexose uptake, and transit time and reduced diarrhea and gut permeability, relative to DM and IF pigs (P < 0.05). Relative to IF pigs, BC pigs also had lower density of mucosa-associated bacteria and of some putative pathogens in colon, together with higher intestinal villi, mucosal mass, brush-border enzyme activities, colonic short chain fatty acid levels, and bacterial diversity and an altered expression of immune-related genes (higher TNFα, IL17; lower IL8, TLR2, TFF, MUC1, MUC2) (all P < 0.05). Values in DM pigs were intermediate. Severe necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) was observed in >50% of IF pigs, while only subclinical intestinal lesions were evident from DM and BC pigs. BC, and to some degree DM, are superior to preterm IF in stimulating gut maturation and body growth, using a gradual advancement of enteral feeding volume over the first 11 days after preterm birth in piglets. Whether the same is true in preterm infants remains to be tested.
authors.affiliation: Comparative Pediatrics and Nutrition, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark; Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark;
authors.forename: Stine O
authors.initials: SO
authors.lastname: Rasmussen
authors.affiliation: Comparative Pediatrics and Nutrition, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark; Institute of Animal Nutrition, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Free University Berlin, Berlin, Germany;
authors.forename: Lena
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.affiliation: Comparative Pediatrics and Nutrition, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark;
authors.forename: Mette V
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Østergaard
authors.affiliation: Institute of Nutritional Science, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Giessen, Germany;
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rudloff
authors.affiliation: Comparative Pediatrics and Nutrition, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark;
authors.forename: Yanqi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Section of Microbiology, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark; and.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Roggenbuck
authors.affiliation: Comparative Pediatrics and Nutrition, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark;
authors.forename: Stine B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Bering
authors.affiliation: Comparative Pediatrics and Nutrition, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark; Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark pts@sund.ku.dk.
authors.forename: Per T
authors.initials: PT
authors.lastname: Sangild
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D002417:Cattle; D003126:Colostrum; D004063:Digestion / Q000502:physiology*; D041981:Gastrointestinal Tract / Q000502:physiology*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D041943:Infant Formula; D007422:Intestines / Q000502:physiology; D008895:Milk, Human; D047928:Premature Birth; D013552:Swine / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: bovine colostrum; donor human milk; infant formula; necrotizing enterocolitis; nutrient fortification