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Updated: Aug 26, 2026
A Swine Model of Neonatal Asphyxia
Published on: October 11, 2011
Influence of Nutrition and Maternal Bonding on Postnatal Lung Development in the Newborn Pig
Josephine Schlosser-Brandenburg1, Friederike Ebner1, Robert Klopfleisch2
1Department of Veterinary Medicine, Institute of Immunology, Centre for Infection Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Insights
Neonatal lung development is impaired by formula feeding and maternal isolation. Early maternal contact and sow milk promote healthy lung immunity and microbiota, crucial for infant respiratory health.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Microbiology
- Developmental Biology
Background:
- Postnatal lung development is influenced by microbial colonization and immune cell maturation.
- External factors affecting neonatal pulmonary immune development require further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine how early-life nutrition and maternal bonding impact lung maturation in a piglet model.
- To investigate immunological changes in impaired lung maturation and potential reversal mechanisms.
Main Methods:
- Newborn piglets were isolated from mothers and fed formula or sow milk.
- Lung growth, immune responses, and microbiota were analyzed.
- Interventions included maternal material transfer and reintroduction to the mother.
Main Results:
- Formula feeding with maternal isolation led to disturbed lung maturation, reduced lung growth, dampened IL-33 expression, impaired myeloid cell activation, and decreased Th1 differentiation.
- Lung microbiota richness and diversity were diminished.
- Maternal material transfer and early (within 3 days) reintroduction to the mother reversed negative effects on pulmonary immune maturation.
Conclusions:
- Neonatal lung growth, respiratory immunity, and microbial colonization are dependent on postnatal diet and maternal contact.
- Targeting these factors can promote lung development in newborns.
- Timely breast milk feeding and maternal bonding are vital interventions for promoting early postnatal lung development.
Background:
Microbial colonization and immune cell maturation coincide at mucosal sites and are decisive for postnatal lung development. How external factors influence neonatal pulmonary immune development is poorly understood.
Objective:
To elucidate the impact of key determinants in early life, nutrition, and maternal bonding, on postnatal lung maturation in a human-relevant animal model. To investigate the underlying immunological changes of impaired lung maturation and study the mechanisms of conversion.
Methods:
Newborn piglets were kept with or without isolation from their mothers and fed bovine milk-based infant formula or received milk of sow. Lung growth, histomorphology, respiratory immune responses, and lung microbiota were analyzed. Mother- and sow-milk-deprived piglets received maternal material or were reintroduced to the maternal environment at varying intervals to study options for reversal.
Results:
Formula feeding combined with isolation of newborn piglets resulted in disturbed postnatal lung maturation. Reduced lung growth correlated with dampened IL-33 expression, impaired lung myeloid cell activation, and decreased Th1 differentiation, along with diminished richness and diversity of the lung microbiota. Transfer of bacteria-enriched maternal material reversed the negative effects on pulmonary immune maturation. Early (within 3 days) but not late (within 7 days) reintroduction to the mother allowed restoration of normal lung development.
Conclusion:
Our findings reveal that lung growth, respiratory immunity, and microbial lung colonization in newborns depend on postnatal diet and maternal contact, and targeting these key regulators could promote lung development during this critical life stage.
Summary:
Disturbances in natural diet and reduced maternal contact during the neonatal period impair postnatal lung maturation. In pediatrics, timely breast milk feeding and intensive maternal bonding represent valuable intervention measures to promote early postnatal lung development.
