Intestinal Barrier Maturation in Very Low Birthweight Infants: Relationship to Feeding and Antibiotic Exposure.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To test the hypothesis that feeding and antibiotic exposures affect intestinal barrier maturation in preterm infants, we serially measured intestinal permeability (IP) biomarkers in infants <33 weeks gestation (gestational age [GA]) during the first 2 weeks of life.

Study design

Eligible infants <33 weeks GA were enrolled within 4 days of birth in a prospective study of IP biomarkers (NCT01756040). Study participants received the nonmetabolized sugars lactulose/rhamnose enterally on study days 1, 8, and 15 and lactulose/rhamnose were measured in urine by high-performance liquid chromatography. Serum zonulin and fecal alpha-1-anti-trypsin, 2 other IP markers, were measured by semiquantitative Western blot and ELISA, respectively.

Results

In a cohort of 43 sub

SUBMITTER: Saleem B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5367935 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature