(P01-006-25) Carotenoids Were Differently Distributed Across Term-Piglet Brain Regions

Objectives: Carotenoids may support infant health and neurodevelopment. Piglets provide an animal model for examining neonatal neurodevelopment due to their similar brain development to human infants. Although at least 16 carotenoids are accumulated in the human brain, the degree to which carotenoids accumulate and their functions in the neonatal brain are unclear. The objective was to conduct a pilot study examining if milk carotenoids, such as lutein, zeaxanthin, β-carotene, and lycopene, accumulate in different brain regions of neonatal piglets and if the accumulation differs by brain region or diet type.

Methods: This is a secondary analysis of samples collected from a study on diet and piglet growth and gut development. C-section-delivered term piglets received partial enteral feeding of either donor human milk (DHM, Prolacta Bioscience) or infant formula (IF, Similac Advance, Abbott) for 10 days (n=6/group). Brain and serum samples of the piglets and milk samples were collected to measure concentrations of major dietary carotenoids, retinol, and α-tocopherol by HPLC-photodiode array detection.

Results: β-carotene and lutein were higher in IF than DHM, while zeaxanthin was higher in DHM. Lycopene was present only in DHM. Serum lycopene, β-cryptoxanthin, and α-carotene concentrations were higher in DHM than IF groups (p < 0.01), while β-carotene, lutein, zeaxanthin, retinol, and α-tocopherol levels were not different between the groups. In the brain, lutein, zeaxanthin, and α-carotene were detected, while β-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin, and lycopene were not detected. Zeaxanthin concentration was highest while α-carotene was lowest across brain regions. Across brain regions, lutein concentrations were higher in IF than DHM groups, particularly in the striatum (p=0.0015). α-Carotene and retinol were differently distributed across brain regions, which were higher in the hippocampus and striatum, respectively (p=0.02 and p< 0.0001). Zeaxanthin and α-tocopherol concentrations were not different across brain regions or between the experimental groups.

Conclusions: Carotenoids may be differently distributed across brain regions, which may suggest different availability or activities in each brain region. Further analysis will be required to examine the role of carotenoids in the brain.

Funding Sources: USDA/ARS