Abstract
Nutritional supplementation is a common clinical intervention to support the growth of preterm infants. There is little information on how nutritional supplementation interacts with the developing microbiome of the small intestine, the major site for nutrient metabolism and absorption. We investigated the effect of preterm birth and nutritional supplementation on the mucosal and luminal microbiota along the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) of preterm lambs. Preterm lambs (n = 24) were enterally supplemented with branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), carbohydrate (maltodextrin), or water for two weeks from birth. Term lambs (n = 7) received water. Mucosal scrapings and luminal samples were collected from the duodenum, jejunum, ileum (small intestine) and colon at six weeks post-term age and analysed by 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. Anatomical site explained 54% (q = 0.0004) of the variance and differences between the term and preterm groups explained 5.7% (q = 0.024) of the variance in microbial beta-diversities. The colon was enriched with Tenericutes and Verrucomicrobia compared to the small intestine, while Actinobacteria, and superphylum Patescibacteria were present in higher abundance in the small intestine compared to the colon. Our findings highlight that early-life short-term nutritional supplementation in preterm lambs does not alter the microbial community residing in the small intestine and colon.
Highlights
Nutritional supplementation is a common clinical intervention to support the growth of preterm infants
Nutritional supplementation with isoleucine has been shown to up-regulate the expression of the sodium glucose co-transporter (SGLT-1) in the duodenum, jejunum and ileum, and glucose transporter 2 (GLUT2) in the duodenum and jejunum of pigs[12]
It is possible that the contraction that occurs along the length of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT), in order to move the disgesta, creates a mixing effect that explains the similarity in the microbial populations observed between mucosal and luminal samples in both the ileum and colon
Summary
Nutritional supplementation is a common clinical intervention to support the growth of preterm infants. We investigated the effect of preterm birth and nutritional supplementation on the mucosal and luminal microbiota along the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) of preterm lambs. Our findings highlight that early-life short-term nutritional supplementation in preterm lambs does not alter the microbial community residing in the small intestine and colon. Studies in lambs have shown that early supplementation with different essential oils commencing at birth modulates the rumen microbial population measured post-weaning[5,6]. The microbial composition of the forestomach of ruminants has been well studied[7]; in contrast, the small intestine is rarely explored[8] This is largely because international collaborations (e.g. Hungate1000, and Global Rumen Census) have focused on the rumen microbiome population in the effort to reduce methane emissions without affecting the economic baseline[3,9]. Post-natal nutritional support is usually required to maintain energy and nitrogen balance, to support growth and to improve neurodevelopmental outcomes[20]
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