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Total body-glucose turnover in normal and intra-uterine growth-retarded neonatal piglets
Insights
Intra-uterine growth-retarded piglets show altered glucose metabolism, with lower total body-glucose turnover and reduced glucose pool size relative to brain weight. These findings suggest potential cerebral metabolism differences in growth-restricted neonates.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal Metabolism
- Animal Models in Perinatal Research
Background:
- Human studies on intra-uterine growth restriction (IUGR) neonate metabolism are ethically limited.
- The piglet model offers a viable alternative for studying IUGR metabolic issues.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate total body-glucose kinetics in IUGR piglets.
- To compare glucose metabolism between IUGR and normal piglets.
Main Methods:
- Utilized [3H]glucose as a tracer to measure total body-glucose kinetics.
- Compared 16 IUGR piglets with 11 normal littermates.
Main Results:
- IUGR piglets exhibited significantly lower total body-glucose turnover and pool size (P < 0.001).
- Glucose turnover adjusted for brain weight was significantly lower in IUGR piglets (P < 0.001).
- IUGR piglets had smaller livers and marginally smaller brains, with reduced plasma glucose concentration (P < 0.001).
Conclusions:
- IUGR piglets display distinct glucose kinetics compared to normal littermates.
- Observed differences in glucose turnover may indicate altered cerebral metabolism in IUGR.
- The piglet model is effective for studying IUGR metabolic challenges.
Abstract:
1. Because studies of the metabolic problems of the human intra-uterine growth-retarded neonate are limited by ethical considerations we have used the intra-uterine growth-retarded piglet as an animal model. Total body-glucose kinetics were measured in 16 intra-uterine growth-retarded and 11 normal piglets from the same litters with [3H]glucose as a tracer. 2. The intra-uterine growth-retarded animals had marginally smaller brains than their normal littermates, but substantially smaller livers. Liver weight was reduced in proportion to body weight. 3. Total body-glucose turnover rate was significantly lower (P less than 0.001) in the intra-uterine growth-retarded animals in comparison with their normal littermates, but was appropriate for their smaller body and liver weights. Brain weight was only slightly reduced in the intra-uterine growth-retarded group so that glucose turnover adjusted to a common brain weight was significantly lower (P less than 0.001) in these animals. 4. Total body-glucose pool size was lower in the intra-uterine growth-retarded animals (P less than 0.01), but was appropriate for their body and liver weights. It was significantly reduced in relation to brain weight (P less than 0.001). 5. Resting plasma glucose concentration was lower in the intra-uterine growth-retarded animals (P less than 0.001). There was no relationship between concentration and turnover in either group. 6. It is suggested that the observed differences in total body-glucose turnover may be associated with profound differences in cerebral metabolism in the intra-uterine growth-retarded animals.