Glucose restriction reduces systemic, but not cardiac, inflammation during neonatal sepsis in preterm pigs

Reducing glucose intake during neonatal sepsis in preterm pigs decreases systemic inflammation and preserves cardiomyocyte proliferation without affecting cardiac injury markers.

• Why it matters: Understanding how glucose provision influences inflammation and cardiac responses in neonatal sepsis can inform nutritional strategies to improve outcomes in preterm infants, who are highly vulnerable to sepsis-related complications.
• What they did: The study involved 33 preterm piglets randomized to standard or reduced glucose infusion, with or without Staphylococcus epidermidis infection, and monitored for 20 hours to assess systemic and cardiac responses.
• The result: Glucose restriction improved survival, lowered systemic inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and IL-10, and maintained cardiomyocyte mitotic density, suggesting it may mitigate systemic immune responses and support cardiac cell proliferation during neonatal sepsis.