Abstract
Intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) is associated with insulin resistance and lipid disorder. Tributyrin (TB), a pro-drug of butyrate, can attenuate dysfunctions in body metabolism. In this study, we investigated the effects of TB supplementation on insulin resistance and lipid metabolism in neonatal piglets with IUGR. Eight neonatal piglets with normal birth weight (NBW) and 16 neonatal piglets with IUGR were selected, weaned on the 7th day, and fed basic milk diets (NBW and IUGR groups) or basic milk diets supplemented with 0.1% tributyrin (IT group, IUGR piglets) until day 21 (n = 8). Relative parameters for lipid metabolism and mRNA expression were measured. Piglets with IUGR showed higher (P < 0.05) concentrations of insulin in the serum, higher (P < 0.05) HOMA-IR and total cholesterol, triglycerides (TG), non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA) in the liver, and lower (P < 0.05) enzyme activities (hepatic lipase [HL], lipoprotein lipase [LPL], total lipase [TL]) and concentration of glycogen in the liver than the NBW group. TB supplementation decreased (P < 0.05) the concentrations of insulin, HOMA-IR, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in the serum, and the concentrations of TG and NEFA in the liver, and increased (P < 0.05) enzyme activities (HL, LPL, and TL) and concentration of glycogen in the liver of the IT group. The mRNA expression for insulin signal transduction pathway and hepatic lipogenic pathway (including transcription factors and nuclear factors) was significantly (P < 0.05) affected in the liver by IUGR, which was efficiently (P < 0.05) attenuated by diets supplemented with TB. TB supplementation has therapeutic potential for attenuating insulin resistance and abnormal lipid metabolism in IUGR piglets by increasing enzyme activities and upregulating mRNA expression, leading to an early improvement in the metabolic efficiency of IUGR piglets.
Highlights
Intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) is defined as impaired growth and development of the fetus and/or its organs during gestation [1,2,3,4], and it has become one of the most important causes for perinatal morbidity and affects about 7–15% pregnancies worldwide [5, 6]
The mRNA expression for the hepatic lipogenic pathway and enzymes are affected by IUGR, which may be associated with dysfunction in metabolism through the regulation of genes such as liver X receptor α (LXRα), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα), and sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1 (SREBP-1)
The results indicated that IUGR caused glycometabolism disorder [34], which is related to insulin resistance
Summary
Intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) is defined as impaired growth and development of the fetus and/or its organs during gestation [1,2,3,4], and it has become one of the most important causes for perinatal morbidity and affects about 7–15% pregnancies worldwide [5, 6]. Previous theories have suggested that IUGR are linked closely with insulin resistance[9], lipid dysfunction and fatty liver and inflammation [10]. A previous study on weaned piglets showed that diets supplemented with 0.1% TB could protect normal intestinal morphology [12]. A previous study on Caco-2 cells showed that butyrate causes a noticeable reduction in secreted triglycerides (TG; 27%) and phospholipids (25%) and suggested potential regulation of circulating lipoprotein concentrations [15]. To the best of our knowledge, the role of TB in insulin resistance and lipid metabolism in suckling piglets has not been clarified, and the effects of TB on insulin resistance and lipid metabolism in both humans and livestock with IUGR have not been reported. In order to test this hypothesis, we chose suckling piglets with a low birth weight (LBW) as the IUGR model for investigating whether TB treatment could result in protection against IUGR-induced insulin resistance and associated lipid dysregulation
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