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Growth faltering in rural Gambian infants is associated with impaired small intestinal barrier function, leading to endotoxemia and systemic inflammation

Growth faltering in rural Gambian infants is associated with impaired small intestinal barrier function, leading to endotoxemia and systemic inflammation
Growth faltering in rural Gambian infants is associated with impaired small intestinal barrier function, leading to endotoxemia and systemic inflammation
Growth faltering of rural Gambian infants is associated with a chronic inflammatory enteropathy of the mucosa of the small intestine that may impair both digestive/absorptive and barrier functions. The aim of this study was to determine whether the enteropathy was associated with a compromised barrier function that allowed translocation of antigenic macromolecules from the gut lumen into the body, with subsequent systemic immunostimulation, resulting in growth retardation. Rural Gambian infants were studied longitudinally at regular intervals between 8 and 64 wk of age. On each study day, each child was medically examined, anthropometric measurements were made, a blood sample was taken and an intestinal permeability test performed. Evidence of chronic immunostimulation was provided by abnormally elevated white blood cell, lymphocyte and platelet counts, and frequently raised plasma concentration of C-reactive protein. Intestinal permeability was abnormal and associated with impaired growth (r = -0.41, P < 0.001). Plasma concentrations of endotoxin and immunoglobulin (Ig)G-endotoxin core antibody were also elevated and related to both growth (r = -0.30, P < 0.02; r = -0.64, P < 0.0001, respectively) and measures of mucosal enteropathy. Plasma IgG, IgA and IgM levels increased rapidly with age toward adult concentrations. Raised values were related to poor growth but also to measures of mucosal enteropathy and the endotoxin antibody titer. The interrelationships among these variables and growth suggested that they were all part of the same growth-retarding mechanism. These data are consistent with the hypothesis of translocation of immunogenic lumenal macromolecules across a compromised gut mucosa, leading to stimulation of systemic immune/inflammatory processes and subsequent growth impairment
infant growth, intestinal permeability, endotoxin, inflammation, enteropathy
0022-3166
1332-1338
Campbell, D.I.
1245a693-2b76-4a8c-8d72-2c6bb45afa96
Elia, M.
964bf436-e623-46d6-bc3f-5dd04c9ef4c1
Lunn, P.G.
9456ddd3-2078-4a8f-87c2-2325a7166a25
Campbell, D.I.
1245a693-2b76-4a8c-8d72-2c6bb45afa96
Elia, M.
964bf436-e623-46d6-bc3f-5dd04c9ef4c1
Lunn, P.G.
9456ddd3-2078-4a8f-87c2-2325a7166a25

Campbell, D.I., Elia, M. and Lunn, P.G. (2003) Growth faltering in rural Gambian infants is associated with impaired small intestinal barrier function, leading to endotoxemia and systemic inflammation. Journal of Nutrition, 133 (5), 1332-1338.

Record type: Article

Abstract

Growth faltering of rural Gambian infants is associated with a chronic inflammatory enteropathy of the mucosa of the small intestine that may impair both digestive/absorptive and barrier functions. The aim of this study was to determine whether the enteropathy was associated with a compromised barrier function that allowed translocation of antigenic macromolecules from the gut lumen into the body, with subsequent systemic immunostimulation, resulting in growth retardation. Rural Gambian infants were studied longitudinally at regular intervals between 8 and 64 wk of age. On each study day, each child was medically examined, anthropometric measurements were made, a blood sample was taken and an intestinal permeability test performed. Evidence of chronic immunostimulation was provided by abnormally elevated white blood cell, lymphocyte and platelet counts, and frequently raised plasma concentration of C-reactive protein. Intestinal permeability was abnormal and associated with impaired growth (r = -0.41, P < 0.001). Plasma concentrations of endotoxin and immunoglobulin (Ig)G-endotoxin core antibody were also elevated and related to both growth (r = -0.30, P < 0.02; r = -0.64, P < 0.0001, respectively) and measures of mucosal enteropathy. Plasma IgG, IgA and IgM levels increased rapidly with age toward adult concentrations. Raised values were related to poor growth but also to measures of mucosal enteropathy and the endotoxin antibody titer. The interrelationships among these variables and growth suggested that they were all part of the same growth-retarding mechanism. These data are consistent with the hypothesis of translocation of immunogenic lumenal macromolecules across a compromised gut mucosa, leading to stimulation of systemic immune/inflammatory processes and subsequent growth impairment

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More information

Published date: 2003
Keywords: infant growth, intestinal permeability, endotoxin, inflammation, enteropathy

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 25345
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/25345
ISSN: 0022-3166
PURE UUID: 3444c585-372f-4f68-a9db-195151983ee8

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 06 Apr 2006
Last modified: 09 Jan 2022 03:38

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Contributors

Author: D.I. Campbell
Author: M. Elia
Author: P.G. Lunn

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