Neonatal modulation of serum cytokine profiles by a specific mixture of anti-inflammatory neutral and acidic oligosaccharides in preterm infants.

Infections are common in preterm infants and cause differences in cytokine levels. Aim of this study was to measure cytokine levels in preterm infants during the first year of life and to determine the effect of feeding a specific non-digestible carbohydrate mixture (scGOS/lcFOS/pAOS). Furthermore, other perinatal factors in relation to these cytokine levels were analysed. In a randomized controlled trial, preterm infants (GA <32weeks and/or birth weight <1500 g) received a scGOS/lcFOS/pAOS mixture or a placebo (maltodextrin) between days 3 and 30 of life. Cytokine levels (IL-1β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-17, IFN-γ, and TNF-α) were analysed at 5 time points during the study: before start of the study, at day 7, at day 14 and at 5 and 12 months after the start of the intervention. In total, 55 preterm infants in the scGOS/lcFOS/pAOS group and 58 in the placebo group were included. During the neonatal period cytokine levels increased, followed by a decrease at 5 months and 12 months. Enteral supplementation of the non-digestible oligosaccharides decreased cytokine levels at day 7 but not at day 14, indicating a temporarily anti-inflammatory effect. In the neonatal period, serious infection before sampling increased all cytokine levels. In conclusion, enteral supplementation of this specific non-digestible oligosaccharide mixture decreased cytokine levels in preterm infants at day 7 of life, although this effect disappeared thereafter.