Ultra-High Temperature Treatment of Liquid Infant Formula, Systemic Immunity, and Kidney Development in Preterm...

Area of Science:

• Neonatal nutrition
• Developmental immunology
• Pediatric nephrology

Background:

• Ready-to-feed liquid infant formulas (IFs) are vital for preterm infants when human milk is unavailable.
• Ultra-high temperature (UHT) sterilization of IFs generates Maillard reaction products (MRPs).
• MRPs may pose risks to systemic immune and kidney development in neonates.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effects of UHT-treated IF, with and without prolonged storage (SUHT), on immune and kidney outcomes in preterm pigs.
• To compare SUHT and UHT-treated IF with pasteurized IF (PAST) as controls.
• To assess systemic immunity, inflammation markers, and kidney development in a preterm pig model.

Main Methods:

• Newborn preterm pigs were fed PAST, UHT, or SUHT infant formulas for 5 days.
• Evaluated blood leukocytes, systemic immunity markers, and inflammation.
• Assessed kidney structure, function, and gene expression related to inflammation and oxidative stress.

Main Results:

• SUHT feeding increased plasma TNFα and IL-6 and reduced neutrophils and LPS response.
• SUHT pigs exhibited upregulated kidney inflammation and oxidative stress gene expressions.
• SUHT pigs showed glomerular mesangial expansion and cell injury, suggesting impaired kidney development.

Conclusions:

• SUHT infant formula may impair systemic immunity and kidney development in preterm newborns.
• The systemic effects of SUHT may stem from local gut inflammatory responses to MRPs.
• Optimal processing and storage duration are critical for UHT-treated liquid IFs for preterm infants.