Impact of Developmental Age, Necrotizing Enterocolitis Associated Stress, and Oral Therapeutic Intervention on Mucus Barrier Properties

Sci Rep. 2020 Apr 21;10(1):6692. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-63593-5.

Abstract

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a devastating gastrointestinal disease of incompletely understood pathophysiology predominantly affecting premature infants. While NEC is associated with microbial invasion of intestinal tissues, and mucus modulates interactions between microbes and underlying tissues, variations in mucus barrier properties with NEC-associated risk factors have not been investigated. This study explored differences in mucus composition (total protein, DNA, mucin content, sialic acid, and immunoregulatory proteins), as well as structural and transport properties, assessed by tracking of particles and bacteria (E. coli and E. cloacae) with developmental age and exposure to NEC stressors in Sprague Dawley rats. Early developmental age (5 day old) was characterized by a more permeable mucus layer relative to 21 day old pups, suggesting immaturity may contribute to exposure of the epithelium to microbes. Exposure to NEC stressors was associated with reduced mucus permeability, which may aid in survival. Feeding with breastmilk as opposed to formula reduces incidence of NEC. Thus, NEC-stressed (N-S) rat pups were orally dosed with breastmilk components lysozyme (N-S-LYS) or docosahexaenoic acid (N-S-DHA). N-S-LYS and N-S-DHA pups had a less permeable mucus barrier relative to N-S pups, which suggests the potential of these factors to strengthen the mucus barrier and thus protect against disease.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Administration, Oral
  • Aging / pathology*
  • Animals
  • DNA / metabolism
  • Docosahexaenoic Acids / administration & dosage*
  • Docosahexaenoic Acids / pharmacology
  • Docosahexaenoic Acids / therapeutic use*
  • Enterobacter cloacae / physiology
  • Enterocolitis, Necrotizing / drug therapy*
  • Enterocolitis, Necrotizing / microbiology
  • Escherichia coli / physiology
  • Fucose / metabolism
  • Ileum / pathology
  • Ileum / ultrastructure
  • Immunoglobulin G / metabolism
  • Mucins / metabolism
  • Mucus / drug effects
  • Mucus / metabolism*
  • Muramidase / administration & dosage*
  • Muramidase / pharmacology
  • Muramidase / therapeutic use*
  • N-Acetylneuraminic Acid / metabolism
  • Permeability
  • Polyethylene Glycols / chemistry
  • Rats, Sprague-Dawley
  • Stress, Physiological* / drug effects

Substances

  • Immunoglobulin G
  • Mucins
  • Docosahexaenoic Acids
  • Fucose
  • Polyethylene Glycols
  • DNA
  • Muramidase
  • N-Acetylneuraminic Acid