Acute effects of the Glucagon-Like Peptide 2 analogue, teduglutide, on intestinal adaptation in newborn pigs with short bowel syndrome

Neonatal short bowel syndrome following massive gut resection associates with malabsorption of nutrients. The intestinotrophic factor glucagon-like peptide 2 (GLP-2) improves gut function in adult short bowel patients, but its effect in pediatric patients remains unknown. Our objective was to test the efficacy of the long-acting synthetic human GLP-2 analogue, teduglutide (ALX-0600, Nycomed GmbH) in a neonatal piglet jejunostomy model. Two-day old pigs were subjected to resection of 50% of the small intestine and the remnant intestine was exteriorized on the abdominal wall as a jejunostomy. All pigs were given total parenteral nutrition for 7 days and a single daily injection of the following doses of teduglutide: 0.01 (n = 6); 0.02 (n = 6); 0.1 (n = 5) or 0.2 mg/kg/day (n = 6) and compared with placebo (n = 9). Body weight increment was similar for all four teduglutide groups but higher than placebo (P