Neeka Barooni and Sonnet Jonker attended the 2025 Aspen Perinatal Biology Symposium in Colorado. Neeka presented her abstract “Metabolic response to premature lipid exposure in fetal cardiomyocytes” while I discussed “Physiological response to fetal intravenous lipid emulsion in mid-gestation.”
These abstracts describe a study in which we infused Intralipid into fetal sheep from 85 to 97 days of gestation (term = 147 days) to test how the immature fetus tolerated a rising lipid load. Hemodynamics and blood gases remained stable, but we observed elevated bilirubin levels, lipid accumulation in the liver and heart, and reduced heart weight despite normal overall somatic growth.
We then asked whether this lipid exposure altered cardiomyocyte metabolism. Cardiomyocytes isolated from treated fetuses showed reduced maximal oxygen consumption rate, but only in males. This effect was not present when cells were exposed to palmitic acid in vitro, suggesting prior lipid exposure did not sensitize cells to further lipid challenge.
Together, these abstracts indicate that mid-gestation fetuses tolerate lipid infusion without overt physiological compromise, but show early signs of metabolic and structural adaptation.
I’m proud that Neeka was honored with a trainee abstract award and was selected for a podium presentation!
