Is orally-derived epidermal growth factor beneficial following premature birth or intestinal resection?

Read, L.C.; Ford, W.D.; Filsell, O.H.; McNeil, J.; Ballard, F.J.; Read, L.C; Ford, W.D; Filsell, O.H; McNeil, J; Ballard, F.J

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Is orally-derived epidermal growth factor beneficial following premature birth or intestinal resection?

Read, L.C.; Ford, W.D.; Filsell, O.H.; McNeil, J.; Ballard, F.J.

Endocrinologia Experimentalis 20(2-3): 199-207

1986

ISSN/ISBN: 0013-7200

PMID: 3489595

Document Number: 283165

Epidermal growth factor (EGF) was determined in milk samples collected from mothers of term (38-42 wk gestation), premature (31-36 wk) and very premature (26-30 wk) infants. In both term and preterm milk, EGF concn. was very high in the first few days of lactation and decreased during the first wk to plateau at 10-15% of initial concn. Values were higher in milk of women delivering prematurely than in milk from those delivering at term. Regression analysis indicated a significant inverse correlation between milk EGF and gestational age at which delivery occurred. Milk EGF:protein ratio increased during lactation following preterm delivery, but remained constant following delivery at term. Human milk EGF (av. 4.9-11.9 nM at 20 days post partum) was much higher than values for cows' milk (0.77 nM) or cows' milk-based infant formulas (av. 1.6 nM). Following intestinal resection in weanling rats, oral administration of mouse EGF accelerated adaptive intestinal regrowth. Results suggest that EGF administration could be beneficial for infants where crucial EGF-responsive tissues are poorly developed, e.g. following premature birth or intestinal resection.