A study in the US used pigs as a model for a common liver complication caused by intravenous feeding in premature babies. 

Parenteral nutrition is a method of delivering nutrients directly into the bloodstream via a catheter, which is crucial for patients who can’t tolerate oral feeding, including premature babies. However, when receiving it for an extended period of time, around half of premature babies develop parenteral nutrition-associated liver disease (PNALD). This dysfunction leads to bile accumulation and the formation of scars in the liver, possibly culminating in a liver transplant.  

Scientists from the USDA-ARS Children’s Nutrition Research Center at Baylor College of Medicine, Texas, have used newborn pigs that mimic PNALD in babies by obstructing the bile duct at birth. This allowed them to test parenteral nutrition using different and newly FDA-approved liquid mixtures for bloodstream nutrition, comparing with soy-based mixtures, which are the current standard in clinical practice.    

The researchers discovered that, while they didn’t prevent bile accumulation in the liver, parenteral nutrition using the newly approved liquid mixtures significantly improved weight gain. 

“Ultimately, this research paves the way for new clinical interventions that could dramatically improve outcomes, preventing both liver injury and intestinal dysfunction in this vulnerable pediatricpopulation,” said Douglas Burrin, from the Baylor College of Medicine and lead of the study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigations Insight.