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Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition... May 2021The proteome is one of the most complicated and multifunctional components in human milk. Recently, numerous novel characteristics of the human milk proteome have been... (Review)
Review
PURPOSE OF REVIEW
The proteome is one of the most complicated and multifunctional components in human milk. Recently, numerous novel characteristics of the human milk proteome have been discovered, which are described and critically examined in this review.
RECENT FINDINGS
Recent human milk proteomics studies have focused on how external factors like geography and environment, or maternal and infant's factors affect the milk proteins, endogenous peptides, their posttransitional modifications (PTMs) and infant utilization. Most of these studies have shown that major protein and endogenous peptide profiles are similar for healthy women and infants. The human milk proteome has been expanded by providing novel insights into PTMs like glycosylation and phosphorylation, and how the proteins and peptides are digested and utilized by the infant. All human milk proteomics studies are subject to conditions in which the samples were collected, handled and stored.
SUMMARY
Significant technological advancements in mass spectrometry have considerably enabled a deeper and more comprehensive identification and characterization of the expanded human milk proteome. However, data concerning human milk from mothers with infections or illnesses and mothers nursing more vulnerable infants are still limited and the roles of the components of the human milk proteome have not yet been sufficiently elucidated.
Topics: Female; Humans; Infant; Mass Spectrometry; Milk Proteins; Milk, Human; Proteome; Proteomics
PubMed: 33660633
DOI: 10.1097/MCO.0000000000000742 -
Nestle Nutrition Institute Workshop... 2020Oligosaccharides are a group of complex glycans that are present in the milk of most mammals. However, human milk is unique as the concentrations of human milk... (Review)
Review
Oligosaccharides are a group of complex glycans that are present in the milk of most mammals. However, human milk is unique as the concentrations of human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) are much higher than those of other mammals, and their structural composition is more complex and varies between women. These observations prompt several questions: (i) Why are humans unique when it comes to milk oligosaccharides? (ii) Which maternal genetic and environmental factors drive the interindividual variation in HMO composition? (iii) What are the short- and long-term health benefits for the infant - and potentially also the mother? The combination of genome-wide association studies, milk transcriptomics, in vitro gene editing, and in silico pathway modeling allows us to reconstruct HMO biosynthetic pathways. Using new data mining approaches and leveraging samples and metadata from large mother-infant cohorts enable us to identify associations between HMO composition and infant and maternal health outcomes. Suitable preclinical models and clinical intervention studies allow us to corroborate the established associations for causal relationships and test for in vivo efficacy in humans. Knowledge generated from these different approaches will help us establish true structure-function relationships and provide the rigorous evidence required to improve infant health and development.
Topics: Animals; Female; Genome-Wide Association Study; Humans; Infant; Milk, Human; Mothers; Oligosaccharides
PubMed: 32160614
DOI: 10.1159/000505339 -
Nestle Nutrition Institute Workshop... 2021Human milk is a dynamic, complex fluid that offers much more than nutrition to infants. The macronutrient content of human milk has been well characterized and... (Review)
Review
Human milk is a dynamic, complex fluid that offers much more than nutrition to infants. The macronutrient content of human milk has been well characterized and described. However, human milk is not a simple matrix of protein, carbohydrate, fat, and micronutrients. The National Institutes of Health have defined bioactives in food as elements that "affect biological processes or substrates and hence have an impact on body function or condition and ultimately health." Bioactives are cells, anti-infectious and anti-inflammatory agents, growth factors, and prebiotics that are naturally present in human milk. They may explain the differences in health outcomes observed between breastfed and non-breastfed infants. They influence the development of the immune and gastrointestinal systems, gut microbiota, neurodevelopment, metabolic health, and protection against infection. Human milk oligosaccharides are one bioactive that have been an increasingly popular area of research. This review provides a broad overview of some bioactive components that positively affect the immune system and touches on certain well-known growth factors present in human milk. Future research will look at the interplay of the multitude of bioactive components in human milk as a biological system and beyond singular compounds.
Topics: Animals; Breast Feeding; Female; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Humans; Infant; Milk; Milk, Human; Oligosaccharides; Prebiotics
PubMed: 35537434
DOI: 10.1159/000519401 -
Gaceta Medica de Mexico 2021The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected all dimensions of health care, including exclusive breastfeeding assurance and its promotion. The risk of...
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected all dimensions of health care, including exclusive breastfeeding assurance and its promotion. The risk of contagion and the consequences of the pandemic have raised concerns among future mothers or in those who are already breastfeeding due to the risk of possible transmission of the virus through breast milk, although active severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has not yet been detected in breast milk. The fear of contagion has favored mother-child isolation policies. So far, there is no evidence of vertical transmission, and the risk of horizontal transmission in the infant is similar to that of the general population. In infants with COVID-19, breastfeeding can even favorably change the clinical course of the disease.
Topics: Breast Feeding; COVID-19; Colostrum; Disease Transmission, Infectious; Female; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical; Milk, Human; Pandemics; SARS-CoV-2; Time Factors
PubMed: 34270527
DOI: 10.24875/GMM.20000665 -
Best Practice & Research. Clinical... Jan 2018Cytokines are required for normal growth and development of the mammary gland and TGF-β prominently represents an established effector of apoptosis, e.g., during... (Review)
Review
Cytokines are required for normal growth and development of the mammary gland and TGF-β prominently represents an established effector of apoptosis, e.g., during involution of the mammary gland. By the control of intracellular signaling pathways, including JAK/STAT, MAPK, PI-3K, and NF-κB, cytokines efficiently regulate cell proliferation and inflammation in the breast. Therefore, cytokines are discussed also in a context of malignant mammary growth. As a group of tissue hormones produced by somatic cells or by cells from the immune system, cytokines are defined by their immunomodulatory potential. Over the past 40 years, multiple cytokines were identified in colostrum and milk. Importantly, cytokines derived from mammary secretions after birth are required for maturation of the immune system in the developing gastrointestinal tract from the suckling. Moreover, recent studies have further assessed the particular interactions between probiotic bacterial strains and cytokines. In light of the increasing prevalence of inflammatory diseases of the gastrointestinal system, the effects of probiotic microorganisms during milk fermentation may have immunotherapeutic potential in the future.
Topics: Animals; Colostrum; Cytokines; Female; Humans; Immune System; Immunity, Maternally-Acquired; Inflammation; Lactation; Mammary Glands, Animal; Milk; Milk, Human; Pregnancy; Signal Transduction; Transforming Growth Factor beta
PubMed: 29549959
DOI: 10.1016/j.beem.2018.01.006 -
Breastfeeding Medicine : the Official... Sep 2020Mother's own human milk is the best nutrition for infants, especially preterm very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) (≤1,500 g) infants, because of its immune-modulatory... (Review)
Review
Mother's own human milk is the best nutrition for infants, especially preterm very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) (≤1,500 g) infants, because of its immune-modulatory constituents that strengthen the infant's host defense, provide protection against infections, and decrease the risk of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). When mother's own milk is unavailable or insufficient, donor human milk is considered the best alternative, especially for preterm VLBW infants. However, to assure biological safety, donor milk must be pasteurized. This results in partial or complete inactivation of some of the immunomodulatory constituents of human milk, which confer host defense. This review summarizes the current evidence regarding the effects of pasteurization on the different immunological constituents of donor milk, and their clinical significance, especially in relation to prevention of NEC.
Topics: Animals; Breast Feeding; Enterocolitis, Necrotizing; Female; Humans; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Infant, Very Low Birth Weight; Milk Banks; Milk, Human; Pasteurization
PubMed: 32672472
DOI: 10.1089/bfm.2020.0192 -
Journal of Applied Microbiology Dec 2021Human milk is elixir for neonates and is a rich source of nutrients and beneficial microbiota required for infant growth and development. Its benefits prompted research... (Review)
Review
Human milk is elixir for neonates and is a rich source of nutrients and beneficial microbiota required for infant growth and development. Its benefits prompted research into probing the milk components and their use as prophylactic or therapeutic agents. Culture-independent estimation of milk microbiome and high-resolution identification of milk components provide information, but a holistic purview of these research domains is lacking. Here, we review the current research on bio-therapeutic components of milk and simplified future directions for its efficient usage. Publicly available databases such as PubMed and Google scholar were searched for keywords such as probiotics and prebiotics related to human milk, microbiome and milk oligosaccharides. This was further manually curated for inclusion and exclusion criteria relevant to human milk and clinical efficacy. The literature was classified into subgroups and then discussed in detail to facilitate understanding. Although milk research is still in infancy, it is clear that human milk has many functions including protection of infants by passive immunization through secreted antibodies, and transfer of immune regulators, cytokines and bioactive peptides. Unbiased estimates show that the human milk carries a complex community of microbiota which serves as the initial inoculum for establishment of infant gut. Our search effectively screened for evidence that shows that milk also harbours many types of prebiotics such as human milk oligosaccharides which encourage growth of beneficial probiotics. The milk also trains the naive immune system of the infant by supplying immune cells and stimulatory factors, thereby strengthening mucosal and systemic immune system. Our systematic review would improve understanding of human milk and the inherent complexity and diversity of human milk. The interrelated functional role of human milk components especially the oligosaccharides and microbiome has been discussed which plays important role in human health.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Infant; Microbiota; Milk; Milk, Human; Oligosaccharides; Prebiotics; Probiotics
PubMed: 33740837
DOI: 10.1111/jam.15078 -
Breastfeeding Medicine : the Official... Apr 2019
Topics: Breast Feeding; Diffusion of Innovation; Female; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Humans; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Milk, Human
PubMed: 30985209
DOI: 10.1089/bfm.2019.29123.aie -
Cellular & Molecular Biology Letters 2017Human milk is a complex fluid that has developed to satisfy the nutritional requirements of infants. In addition to proteins, lipids, carbohydrates and other... (Review)
Review
Human milk is a complex fluid that has developed to satisfy the nutritional requirements of infants. In addition to proteins, lipids, carbohydrates and other biologically active components, breast milk contains a diverse microbiome that is presumed to colonize the infant gastrointestinal tract and a heterogeneous population of cells with unclear physiological roles and health implications. Noteworthy cellular components of breast milk include progenitor/stem cells. This review summarizes the current state of knowledge of breast milk cells, including leukocytes, epithelial cells, stem cells and potentially probiotic bacteria.
Topics: Bacteria; Epithelial Cells; Female; Humans; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Leukocytes; Microbiota; Milk, Human; Probiotics; Stem Cells
PubMed: 28717367
DOI: 10.1186/s11658-017-0042-4 -
Nutrients Apr 2021Whole milk is a good source of all the nutrients, and it also contains a sufficient number of vitamins to permit regular the growth of the neonate. Dairy cow milk can... (Review)
Review
Whole milk is a good source of all the nutrients, and it also contains a sufficient number of vitamins to permit regular the growth of the neonate. Dairy cow milk can create allergy in infants less than 12 months old because of the high caseins and β-lactoglobulin content. In these circumstances, donkey milk can represent a good replacement for dairy cows' milk in children affected by Cow Milk Protein Allergy (CMPA) because of its close chemical composition with human milk, mainly due to its low protein and low mineral content. Milk vitamin content is highly variable among mammalian species and it is strictly correlated with the vitamin status and the diet administered to the mother. Fat-soluble vitamins content in donkey milk is, on average, lower compared to ruminants' milk, while vitamin C content determined in donkey milk is higher compared to dairy cows' milk, showing a great similarity with human milk. In donkey milk, the content of vitamins of the B-complex such as thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pyridoxine, and folic acid is higher compared to human milk. The use of donkey milk as a new functional food must be further evaluated in interdisciplinary clinical trials in which pediatricians, dietitians, and food scientists must be involved to deepen the knowledge about the positive health impact of donkey milk in different sensitive people, especially children and the elderly.
Topics: Animals; Equidae; Female; Humans; Milk; Milk, Human; Nutritive Value; Vitamins
PubMed: 33947032
DOI: 10.3390/nu13051509