Historical Aspects of Human Milk Oligosaccharides

Abstract

This review focuses on important observations regarding infant health around 1900 when breastfeeding was not considered a matter of importance. The discovery of lactobacilli and bifidobacteria and their relevance for health and disease was an important milestone leading to a decrease in infant mortality in the first year of life. At the same time, pediatricians realized that the fecal composition of breast-fed and bottle-fed infants differed. Observations indicated that this difference is linked to milk composition, particularly due to the milk carbohydrate fraction. Circa 1930, a human milk carbohydrate fraction called gynolactose was identified. This was the starting point of research on human milk oligosaccharides (HMO). In the following years, the first HMO were identified and their functions investigated. Studies after 1950 focused on the identification of various HMO as the bifidus factor in human milk. In the following 30 years, a tremendous amount of research was done with regard to the characterization of individual HMO and HMO patterns in milk. In this short introduction to the history of HMO research, which ends circa 1980, some outstanding scientists in pediatrics and chemistry and their pioneering contributions to research in the field of HMO are presented.

Oligosaccharide Composition of Breast Milk Influences Survival of Uninfected Children Born to HIV-Infected Mothers in Lusaka, Zambia,

“…HMOs were first discovered in the 1950s as part of research to characterize the ''bifidus factor'' thought at the time to explain the benefits of breastfeeding for infant health (10,15). This discovery fueled a productive period of inquiry that established HMOs as part of innate immune protection and as a substrate promoting growth of beneficial bacteria in the infant gut (10,15).…”

“…This discovery fueled a productive period of inquiry that established HMOs as part of innate immune protection and as a substrate promoting growth of beneficial bacteria in the infant gut (10,15). More recently, not only have the prebiotic benefits of HMOs been further elaborated (16) but other immune protective properties have been identified, including as antiadhesive antimicrobials, decoy molecules, and modulators of epithelial cell responses (10,17).…”

Mehr als 200 gute Gründe für das Stillen

“…Jahrhundert kamen erste Produkte zur Babynahrung als Alternativen zum Stillen beziehungsweise zum Ammenwesen auf den markt. 1865 patentierte Justus von Liebig eine von ihm entwickelte Babynahrung auf Basis von Kuhmilch, Weizenmehl und Kaliumbicarbonat, die damals bereits in Pulverform vertrieben wurde [2]. Die einführung der Lebensmittelkonservierung im Allgemeinen sowie der Babyflasche und des Schnullers führten schließlich dazu, dass zu Beginn des 20.…”

“…Wichtige frühe meilensteine waren: -die Arbeit von T. escherich zusammengefasst in der monographie "Die Darmbakterien des Säuglings und ihre Beziehung zur Physiologie der Verdauung" aus dem Jahre 1886, -die unabhängige Beobachtung von e. moro und h. Tissier einer einzigartigen Predominanz von sogenannten Bifidobakterien im Stuhl gestillter Kinder, -die erkenntnis, dass die proteinfreie Fraktion der muttermilch eine hitzestabile Komponente ("Bifidus-Faktor") enthält, die die entstehung der Bifidusflora fördert (h. Schönfeld 1926). [2,4] Neben der Untersuchung der physiologischen effekte der muttermilch und deren Kohlenhydratfraktion begann im 19. Jahrhundert die identifizierung, isolierung und strukturelle Charakterisierung der Oligosaccharide: diese sind nach Lactose und Fetten der dritthäufigste Bestandteil in muttermilch (Abbildung 1a).…”

Prebiotic Properties of Galursan HF 7K on Mouse Gut Microbiota

“…A dietary supplement approach has been used throughout history for the prevention and treatment of diarrhea. Ernst Moro, an Austrian physician and pediatrician, demonstrated in 1908 that a carrot soup dramatically decreased the infant death rate by diarrhea in Germany [27,28]. Preliminary studies in fowl farming suggest an oligosaccharide derivative of carrot, oligo(2-7)-galacturonic acid can be substituted for antibiotics to prevent gastrointestinal tract (GI) infections (data not shown).…”