(EA02-15-25) A Hydrolyzed Lipid Blend With Phospholipids Modulates the Brain Transcriptome and Lipidome in a Region- and Diet-Dependent Manner in a Neonatal Piglet Model

Scientific conference where the work was recently presented: Nutrition & Growth 2025

Date on which the work was previously presented at the scientific conference listed: February 21, 2025

Objectives: The brain undergoes tremendous growth and expansion in the first year of life. The first year of life is a critical period for brain development, during which complex neurodevelopmental processes lay the foundation for subsequent tissue complexity, refinement, and ultimately emergent cognitive function. The impact of nutrition upon brain development and later cognitive function remains a key research topic. This study aimed to evaluate how a lipid module containing partially hydrolyzed triglycerides with phospholipids supports brain development in a translational piglet model.

Methods: Two-day-old piglets (N = 48) were randomized into either a sow-fed reference group [SR] or one of three sow milk replacer groups: control (C), HF (lipid blend including hydrolyzed triglycerides), or HF-PL (lipid blend including hydrolyzed triglycerides and phospholipids). Weights, activity level, feeding scores, and stool scores were recorded daily. Piglets were euthanized at days 28-29 and brain tissues were dissected for RNA-sequencing and shotgun lipidomics. Statistical analyses were performed using R v4.2.

Results: Piglets exhibited healthy weight gain regardless of sow milk replacer diet, and brain weights did not differ between groups at study completion. Study groups did not differ in activity or diarrhea incidence. Gene expression was differentially affected by diet depending on brain region. The highest number of diet-modulated genes were observed within the corpus callosum, followed by the striatum, hippocampus, and internal capsule. Piglets fed C displayed prefrontal cortex gene expression that differed the most from SR, while piglets fed HF-PL were closest to SR. C and HF differed from SR piglets in abundance of lipid classes in the prefrontal cortex, while HF-PL prefrontal cortex lipid composition was closest to SR.

Conclusions: Diet modulated the brain transcriptome and lipid composition in a region-dependent manner. Piglets fed HF-PL diet displayed tissue development of a key brain region closest to SR.

Funding Sources: Abbott Laboratories