Similar efficacy of human banked milk and bovine colostrum to decrease incidence of necrotizing enterocolitis in...

Area of Science:

• Neonatal nutrition
• Gastroenterology
• Immunology

Background:

• Preterm birth and infant formula (IF) feeding increase necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) risk.
• Human donor milk (HM) and bovine colostrum (BC) are alternatives to IF when maternal milk is unavailable.
• Previous studies indicated BC protects against NEC in preterm piglets.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of HM and BC in preventing NEC and promoting gut health in preterm piglets.
• To determine if HM and BC effects are species-independent compared to IF.
• To assess the impact of BC and HM on intestinal structure, function, and NEC development.

Main Methods:

• Preterm piglets received enteral feeding with BC, HM, or IF for 2 days after initial parenteral nutrition.
• Intestinal passage time, hexose absorption, and weight gain were measured.
• Macroscopic NEC lesions, histopathology, cytokine levels (IL-6, IL-8), organic acids, bacterial adherence, and enzyme activities were analyzed.

Main Results:

• Both BC and HM groups exhibited longer intestinal passage time, higher weight gain, and improved hexose absorption compared to IF.
• NEC incidence, organic acid concentration, IL-8 levels, and histopathology scores were significantly lower in BC and HM groups versus IF.
• HM showed lower IL-6 and bacterial adherence scores than both BC and IF groups.

Conclusions:

• Bovine colostrum and human donor milk are superior to infant formula in promoting gut development and NEC resistance in preterm piglets.
• BC can serve as a viable alternative to HM for preterm infants lacking maternal milk in the early postnatal period.
• These findings suggest a species-independent protective effect of colostrum against NEC.