ursodoxicoltaurine and Birth-Weight

To determine whether tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA) would prevent or ameliorate the liver injury in neonates treated with total parenteral nutrition (TPN).. Eligible infants were enrolled after surgery when serum direct bilirubin (DB) was <2 mg/dL. TUDCA (30 mg/kg/day) was given enterally to 22 subjects. A concurrent untreated/placebo group was evaluated for comparison (n = 30). Blood chemistries including alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (AP), conjugated bilirubin (CB), and bile acids (BA) were obtained weekly.. There was no difference in peak serum CB, ALT, AP, or BA levels between the TUDCA-treated and control infants. When stratified for birth weight (<1500 g and >1500 g), no differences in peak CB, ALT, AP, or BA were noted. Serum CB levels were similar between TUDCA-treated and control infants after 14, 40, 60, 70, and 120 days of TPN.. TUDCA appears ineffective in preventing the development or treatment of TPN-associated cholestasis in neonates. Erratic biliary enrichment and prolonged inability to initiate treatment may compromise the utility of enterically administered TUDCA for TPN-treated infants.

Topics: Alanine Transaminase; Alkaline Phosphatase; Bile Acids and Salts; Bilirubin; Biomarkers; Birth Weight; Cholagogues and Choleretics; Enteral Nutrition; Humans; Infant; Infant Welfare; Infant, Newborn; Infant, Very Low Birth Weight; Liver Diseases; Minnesota; Mississippi; Ohio; Parenteral Nutrition, Total; Taurochenodeoxycholic Acid; Texas; Time Factors

We previously demonstrated that tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA) improved the developmental competence of mouse embryos by attenuating endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-induced apoptosis during preimplantation development. Here, we present a follow-up study examining whether TUDCA enhances the implantation and live-birth rate of mouse embryos. Mouse 2-cell embryos were collected by oviduct flushing and cultured in the presence or absence of 50 μM TUDCA. After culture (52 h), blastocysts were transferred to 2.5-day pseudopregnant foster mothers. It was found that the rates of pregnancy and implantation as well as the number of live pups per surrogate mouse were significantly higher in the TUDCA-treated group compared to the control group, but there was no significant difference in the mean weights of the pups or placentae. Thus, we report for the first time that TUDCA supplementation of the embryo culture medium increased the implantation and livebirth rates of transferred mouse embryos.

Topics: Animals; Birth Weight; Blastocyst; Blastomeres; Crosses, Genetic; Ectogenesis; Embryo Culture Techniques; Embryo Transfer; Female; Fertility Agents, Female; Litter Size; Live Birth; Male; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mice, Inbred DBA; Mice, Inbred ICR; Osmolar Concentration; Placentation; Pregnancy; Reproductive Techniques, Assisted; Taurochenodeoxycholic Acid