The role of lipids in ischemia/reperfusion-induced changes in mucosal permeability in developing piglets

This study determined which nutrient component of formula may be responsible for changes in ischemia/reperfusion-induced mucosal permeability, as quantitated by the plasma-to-lumen clearance of 51Cr-ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, in newborn piglets. Loops of jejunoileum in 1-day-old and 1-month-old piglets were perfused with predigested and bile acid-solubilized solutions of formula, lipid, protein, carbohydrate, delipidated formula, or fatty acid during 1 hour each of control, ischemia, and reperfusion. Luminal perfusion with formula or lipid led to significantly greater increases in mucosal permeability during reperfusion in newborn intestine than did carbohydrate or protein, whereas mucosal permeability in older animals was not different among solutions. Removal of all lipids from the formula abolished the increased mucosal permeability associated with reperfusion in newborn animals. Perfusion with oleate, a monounsaturated dietary fatty acid, led to still greater increases in reperfusion-associated permeability in newborn but not older intestine. The oleate and lipid perfusions also caused significantly increased mucosal permeability in the absence of ischemia. Thus, it appears that a lipid component of formula, probably a fatty acid, is responsible for the increase in mucosal permeability induced by ischemia/reperfusion in newborn intestine and also leads to increased mucosal permeability in the absence of ischemia/reperfusion. Investigation of the mechanism of these lipid-associated changes in mucosal permeability may provide a rationale for dietary modifications that may decrease the risk of mucosal injury during feeding and ischemic stress in immature intestine.