June 14, 2013

Small doses of a bile acid given to premature babies might help new-borns avoid a liver disease.

This is according to USDA physiologist Douglas G. Burrin and his colleagues.

In a preliminary study with new-born piglets as the animal model, Burrin and his co-investigators showed that the bile acid CDCA (chenodeoxycholic acid) helped combat parenteral nutrition-associated liver disease (PNALD), a liver condition that sometimes occurs in preemies nourished exclusively through intravenous feeding.

Known as total parenteral nutrition, or TPN, this feeding regimen can save lives but, if administered for longer than two weeks, may lead to complications such as PNALD. There is no well-established, science-based cure for PNALD. In severe cases, PNALD can lead to liver failure and the need for a liver transplant.

In on-going research designed to prevent or minimise the impact of PNALD and other unwanted side effects of TPN, Burrin and colleagues showed that administering small doses of CDCA three times a day helped fight PNALD in TPN-fed piglets. The team based its conclusion on measurements of three key biomarkers: serum bilirubin, serum bile acids, and liver triglycerides.

Published in a 2012 issue of the American Journal of Physiology-Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology, the study is the first to demonstrate the use of CDCA, delivered directly to the upper digestive tract, to control PNALD in a new-born lab animal model.

Piglets were chosen for this research because the pig digestive tract is very similar to that of humans. In addition, the size and body composition-the amount of fat and lean-in an infant piglet is typically comparable to that of a human preemie.

Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital and ARS jointly manage the nutrition research centre. ARS is the USDA's chief intramural scientific research agency, and this research supports the USDA priority of improving children's health and nutrition.