Impacts of Formula Supplemented with Milk Fat Globule Membrane on the Neurolipidome of Brain Regions of Piglets

Karl Fraser, Leigh Ryan, Ryan N. Dilger, Kelly Dunstan, Kelly Armstrong, Jason Peters, Hedley Stirrat, Neill Haggerty, Alastair K.H. MacGibbon, James Dekker, Wayne Young, Nicole C. Roy

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) appears to play an important role in infant neurocognitive development; however, its mechanism(s) of action remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the role of a dietary MFGM supplement on the lipid profiles of different neonatal brain regions. Ten-day-old male piglets (4–5 kg) were fed unsupplemented infant formula (control, n = 7) or an infant formula supplemented with low (4%) or high (8%) levels of MFGM (n = 8 each) daily for 21 days. Piglets were then euthanized, and brain tissues were sectioned. Untargeted liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry lipidomics was performed on the cerebellum, hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, and the rest of the brain. The analyses identified 271 and 171 lipids using positive and negative ionization modes, respectively, spanning 16 different lipid classes. MFGM consumption did not significantly alter the lipidome in most brain regions, regardless of dose, compared to the control infant formula. However, 16 triacylglyceride species were increased in the hippocampus (t-test, p-value < 0.05) of the high-supplemented piglets. Most lipids (262 (96.7%) and 160 (93.6%), respectively) differed significantly between different brain regions (ANOVA, false discovery rate corrected p-value < 0.05) independent of diet. Thus, this study highlighted that dietary MFGM altered lipid abundance in the hippocampus and detected large differences in lipid profiles between neonatal piglet brain regions.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number689
JournalMetabolites
Volume12
Issue number8
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 2022

Keywords

  • infant formula
  • milk fat globule membrane
  • piglets
  • brain
  • lipidome
  • cerebellum
  • hippocampus
  • prefrontal cortex
  • neonatal
  • metabolomics

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism
  • Biochemistry
  • Molecular Biology

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