Intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) is associated with
insulin resistance and
lipid disorder.
Tributyrin (TB), a
pro-drug of
butyrate, can attenuate dysfunctions in body metabolism. In this study, we investigated the effects of TB supplementation on
insulin resistance and lipid metabolism in neonatal piglets with IUGR. Eight neonatal piglets with normal
birth weight (NBW) and 16 neonatal piglets with IUGR were selected, weaned on the 7th day, and fed basic milk diets (NBW and IUGR groups) or basic milk diets supplemented with 0.1%
tributyrin (IT group, IUGR piglets) until day 21 (n = 8). Relative parameters for lipid metabolism and
mRNA expression were measured. Piglets with IUGR showed higher (P < 0.05) concentrations of
insulin in the serum, higher (P < 0.05) HOMA-IR and total
cholesterol,
triglycerides (TG), non-
esterified fatty acid (
NEFA) in the liver, and lower (P < 0.05)
enzyme activities (hepatic
lipase [HL],
lipoprotein lipase [LPL], total
lipase [TL]) and concentration of
glycogen in the liver than the NBW group. TB supplementation decreased (P < 0.05) the concentrations of
insulin, HOMA-IR,
low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and
high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in the serum, and the concentrations of TG and
NEFA in the liver, and increased (P < 0.05)
enzyme activities (HL, LPL, and TL) and concentration of
glycogen in the liver of the IT group. The
mRNA expression for
insulin signal transduction pathway and hepatic lipogenic pathway (including
transcription factors and nuclear factors) was significantly (P < 0.05) affected in the liver by IUGR, which was efficiently (P < 0.05) attenuated by diets supplemented with TB. TB supplementation has therapeutic potential for attenuating
insulin resistance and abnormal lipid metabolism in IUGR piglets by increasing
enzyme activities and upregulating
mRNA expression, leading to an early improvement in the metabolic efficiency of IUGR piglets.