Bovine colostrum prevents formula-induced gut microbiota dysbiosis in preterm pigs

Lin Yang; Yan Hui; Thomas Thymann; Dennis Sandris Nielsen; Ping-Ping Jiang; Per Torp Sangild

doi:10.1038/s41390-024-03379-x

Bovine colostrum prevents formula-induced gut microbiota dysbiosis in preterm pigs

Pediatr Res. 2024 Jul 8. doi: 10.1038/s41390-024-03379-x. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Lin Yang¹, Yan Hui², Thomas Thymann¹, Dennis Sandris Nielsen², Ping-Ping Jiang¹, Per Torp Sangild^{3

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Affiliations

¹ Section for Comparative Pediatrics and Nutrition, Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark.
² Department of Food Science, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark.
³ Section for Comparative Pediatrics and Nutrition, Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark. [email protected].
⁴ Department of Neonatology, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark. [email protected].
⁵ Department of Pediatrics, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark. [email protected].
⁶ Faculty of Theology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. [email protected].

PMID: 38977796
DOI: 10.1038/s41390-024-03379-x

Abstract

Background: Preterm birth and formula feeding increase the risk of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), a gut inflammatory disease known to be associated with gut microbiota (GM) changes in infants. Supplemental bovine colostrum may protect against formula-induced NEC via GM changes. We hypothesised that feeding colostrum before, after, or during formula feeding affects NEC sensitivity via changes to GM.

Methods: Colonic GM (profiled by 16S ribosomal RNA gene amplicon sequencing) was compared in preterm pigs fed colostrum for 4 days, either before, after, or together with formula feeding for 4 days. Correlations between GM and gut parameters were assessed on day 5 or 9.

Results: Both exclusive and partial colostrum feeding induced higher GM diversity, lower Enterococcus abundance, and improved intestinal maturation parameters (villus structure, digestive enzyme activities, permeability), relative to exclusive formula feeding (all p < 0.05). Across feeding regimens, Enterococcus abundance was inversely correlated with intestinal maturation parameters. Conversely, there was no correlation between GM changes and early NEC lesions.

Conclusion: Bovine colostrum inhibits formula-induced Enterococcus overgrowth and gut dysfunctions just after preterm birth but these effects are not causally linked. Optimising diet-related host responses, not GM, may be critical to prevent NEC in preterm newborn pigs and infants.

Impact: Supplement of bovine colostrum to formula feeding modified the gut microbiota by increasing species diversity and reducing Enterococcus abundance, while concurrently improving intestinal functions in preterm pigs. Diet-related changes to the gut microbiota were not clearly associated with development of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) in preterm pigs, suggesting that diet-related gut microbiota effects are not critical for diet-related NEC protection. The study highlights the potential to use bovine colostrum as a supplement to formula feeding for preterm infants lacking human milk.