Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 14, 2026
Development of a Neonatal Piglet Acute Lung Injury Model Recreating the Early Environment of Preterm Infant Lungs
Published on: October 31, 2025
Physical activity level is impaired and diet dependent in preterm newborn pigs
Muqing Cao1, Anders Daniel Andersen2, Chris Van Ginneken3
1Department of Maternal and Child Health, Faculty of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
Insights
Early enteral feeding in preterm pigs stimulates gut growth and physical activity. Bovine colostrum and human milk show superior results compared to formula, promoting better development.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal physiology
- Gastroenterology
- Developmental neuroscience
Background:
- Preterm infants often experience delayed motor development due to organ immaturity.
- The gut and brain are key organs implicated in this developmental delay.
- Pigs serve as a relevant animal model for studying preterm infant development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of early enteral feeding on gut growth and physical activity in preterm neonates.
- To compare the effects of different enteral diets, including bovine colostrum, formula, and human milk.
- To determine if early nutrition can mitigate developmental deficits in preterm infants.
Main Methods:
- Preterm and term pigs received parenteral nutrition (PN) or PN with enteral bovine colostrum (BC).
- Experiments compared PN+BC with PN+formula in preterm pigs.
- Home cage activity (HCA) was continuously monitored to quantify physical activity.
Main Results:
- Preterm birth led to reduced intestinal weight and HCA.
- Enteral supplementation with BC or formula enhanced intestinal weights and HCA.
- Bovine colostrum and human milk improved HCA, intestinal weights, and resistance to necrotizing enteritis compared to formula.
Conclusions:
- Preterm pigs exhibit decreased physical activity.
- The choice of first enteral diet significantly influences gut growth and physical activity.
- Bioactive milk factors and improved digestive, metabolic, and neurological functions, potentially including gut serotonin, may mediate these effects.
Background:
Preterm infants show delayed development of motor function after birth. This may relate to functional immaturity of many organs, including the gut and brain. Using pigs as model for preterm infants, we hypothesized that early initiation of enteral feeding stimulates both gut growth and neonatal physical activity.
Methods:
In experiment 1, preterm and term pigs were fed parenteral nutrition (PN) or PN plus bovine colostrum (BC, 16-64 ml/kg/d enterally) for 5 d. In experiment 2, preterm pigs were fed PN+BC or PN+formula for 5 d. In experiment 3, preterm pigs were fed BC, formula, or human milk (HM) for 10 d. Incubator home cage activity (HCA) was quantified by continuous camera recordings.
Results:
Preterm birth was associated with reduced intestinal weight and HCA (experiment 1), and BC or formula supplementation increased intestinal weights and HCA (experiments 1+2). Enteral BC and HM feeding increased HCA, intestinal weights, and necrotizing enteritis resistance, relative to formula (experiment 3).
Conclusion:
Preterm pigs show decreased physical activity, and the first enteral feeds diet dependently stimulate both gut growth and physical activity. The effects may arise from maturation of digestive, metabolic, and neurological functions, including gut serotonin production, by the first enteral feeds and milk bioactive factors.
