Innate Immunity and Breast Milk

Abstract

Human milk is a dynamic source of nutrients and bioactive factors; unique in providing for the human infant’s optimal growth and development. The growing infant’s immune system has a number of developmental immune deficiencies placing the infant at increased risk of infection. This review focuses on how human milk directly contributes to the infant’s innate immunity. Remarkable new findings clarify the multifunctional nature of human milk bioactive components. New research techniques have expanded our understanding of the potential for human milk’s effect on the infant that will never be possible with milk formulas. Human milk microbiome directly shapes the infant’s intestinal microbiome, while the human milk oligosaccharides drive the growth of these microbes within the gut. New techniques such as genomics, metabolomics, proteomics, and glycomics are being used to describe this symbiotic relationship. An expanded role for antimicrobial proteins/peptides within human milk in innate immune protection is described. The unique milieu of enhanced immune protection with diminished inflammation results from a complex interaction of anti-inflammatory and antioxidative factors provided by human milk to the intestine. New data support the concept of mucosal-associated lymphoid tissue and its contribution to the cellular content of human milk. Human milk stem cells (hMSCs) have recently been discovered. Their direct role in the infant for repair and regeneration is being investigated. The existence of these hMSCs could prove to be an easily harvested source of multilineage stem cells for the study of cancer and tissue regeneration. As the infant’s gastrointestinal tract and immune system develop, there is a comparable transition in human milk over time to provide fewer immune factors and more calories and nutrients for growth. Each of these new findings opens the door to future studies of human milk and its effect on the innate immune system and the developing infant.

Longitudinal trajectories of severe wheeze exacerbations from infancy to school age and their association with early‐life risk factors and late asthma outcomes

“…Our findings are consistent with results of the recent study by Ahmadizar et al , which has shown that breastfeeding is associated with a decreased risk of asthma exacerbations in later childhood . These results are consistent with findings that breastfeeding may have immunomodulatory and anti‐infective antimicrobial effects, thereby impacting upon the risk of exacerbations (which are likely mostly virus‐induced) . Breast milk contains high levels of immunoglobulins, lactoferrin, cytokines and prebiotic structures that influence the development of immune system .…”

Fatores associados às enteroparasitoses em crianças usuárias de creches comunitárias

“…Em nosso estudo foi observado que crianças que receberam amamentação materna por mais de seis meses tiveram uma menor prevalência de infecções parasitárias quando comparadas às crianças que amamentaram por até seis meses ou menos. Segundo Cacho & Lawrence 27 , o leite materno protege as crianças contra infecções devido ao fato de apresentar compostos com ação antimicrobiana, anti-inflamatória, imunomoduladora, além de leucócitos. Devido à imaturidade do sistema imune, o recém-nascido é mais vulnerável às infecções, sendo fundamental a proteção conferida pela amamentação 28 .…”

“…Devido à imaturidade do sistema imune, o recém-nascido é mais vulnerável às infecções, sendo fundamental a proteção conferida pela amamentação 28 . Substâncias imunológicas e fatores de crescimento presente no colostro e no leite materno protegem a mucosa intestinal contra a invasão de patógenos 24,27,28 e portanto, reduzem os riscos de infecção enteroparasitária.…”

The Respiratory Microbiome in COPD

“…Evidence supports reduced childhood morbidity and mortality not only during the period of lactation but also beyond this period and into adulthood [20]. Facultative anaerobes create an anaerobic environment where obligate anaerobic bacteria such as Bifidobacterium species flourish.…”