The hormonal physiology of immune components in breast milk and their impact on the infant immune response

Bermejo‐Haro, Mextli Y.; Camacho‐Pacheco, Rodrigo T.; Brito-Pérez, Yesenia; Mancilla-Herrera, Ismael

doi:10.1016/j.mce.2023.111956

Cited by 12 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 175 publications

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“…Phthalate monoesters are detectable in human breastmilk, and their concentrations have been found to correlate with important predictors of later immune system outcomes such as hormone concentrations in infants [86]. It is unclear how maternal DEHP exposure may influence breastmilk composition, but it could impact the endocrine control of lactation, thereby disturbing the immune components in breast milk and impacting infant immune system development and response to infections [87]. It is also possible that maternal exposure to DEHP may influence maternal susceptibility to infections and as a result, impact the frequency of URIs in infants.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sex-Specific Associations between Prenatal Exposure to Di(2-ethylhexyl) Phthalate, Epigenetic Age Acceleration, and Susceptibility to Early Childhood Upper Respiratory Infections

Merrill,

Letourneau,

Giesbrecht

et al. 2024

Epigenomes

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Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) is a common plasticizer that can affect immune system development and susceptibility to infection. Aging processes (measured as epigenetic age acceleration (EAA)) may mediate the immune-related effects of prenatal exposure to DEHP. This study’s objective was to examine associations between prenatal DEHP exposure, EAA at three months of age, and the number of upper respiratory infections (URIs) from 12 to 18 months of age using a sample of 69 maternal–child pairs from a Canadian pregnancy cohort. Blood DNA methylation data were generated using the Infinium HumanMethylation450 BeadChip; EAA was estimated using Horvath’s pan-tissue clock. Robust regressions examined overall and sex-specific associations. Higher prenatal DEHP exposure (B = 6.52, 95% CI = 1.22, 11.81) and increased EAA (B = 2.98, 95% CI = 1.64, 4.32) independently predicted more URIs. In sex-specific analyses, some similar effects were noted for boys, and EAA mediated the association between prenatal DEHP exposure and URIs. In girls, higher prenatal DEHP exposure was associated with decreased EAA, and no mediation was noted. Higher prenatal DEHP exposure may be associated with increased susceptibility to early childhood URIs, particularly in boys, and aging biomarkers such as EAA may be a biological mechanism. Larger cohort studies examining the potential developmental immunotoxicity of phthalates are needed.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sex-Specific Associations between Prenatal Exposure to Di(2-ethylhexyl) Phthalate, Epigenetic Age Acceleration, and Susceptibility to Early Childhood Upper Respiratory Infections

Merrill,

Letourneau,

Giesbrecht

et al. 2024

Epigenomes

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“…However, despite any potential changes, human milk remains an excellent source of nutrition and immune protection for infants [52,53]. Earlier findings shed light on how the hormonal components of milk have sex-specific effects on offspring growth during early postnatal life with varying temporal windows of sensitivity [54,55]. The total dietary antioxidant capacity of patients' diets significantly depended on the season and was highest in the summer [56].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Effect of Holder Pasteurization and Different Variants on Breast Milk Antioxidants

Vass,

Mikó,

Gál

et al. 2023

Antioxidants

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Background: After birth, breast milk (BM) is a known essential source of antioxidants for infants. We analyzed the non-enzymatic total antioxidant capacity (TAC), oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC), and glutathione, calcium, transferrin, and total protein levels of human breast milk before and after Holder pasteurization (HoP). Methods: The collected donor BM samples were pasteurized with HoP. Results: HoP decreased TAC (−12.6%), ORAC (−12.1%), transferrin (−98.3%), and total protein (−21.4%) levels; HoP did not influence the glutathione concentration, and it increased the total calcium (+25.5%) concentration. Mothers who gave birth via Cesarean section had significantly lower TAC in their BM. TAC and glutathione levels were elevated in the BM of mothers over the age of 30. BM produced in the summer had higher glutathione and calcium levels compared to BM produced in the winter. The glutathione concentration in term milk samples was significantly higher in the first two months of lactation compared to the period between the third and sixth months. The transferrin level of BM for female infants was significantly higher than the BM for boys, and mothers with a BMI above 30 had increased transferrin in their samples. Conclusions: Antioxidant levels in human milk are influenced by numerous factors. Environmental and maternal factors, the postpartum age at breast milk collection, and Holder pasteurization of the milk influence the antioxidant intake of the infant.

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“…Breast milk has been hypothesized to provide protection against malaria in the breastfed infant. While breastfeeding can confer non-malaria specific benefits to the developing infant immune system [ 49 , 50 ], evidence that breast milk derived maternal antimalarial antibodies protects against malaria infection of clinical malaria is lacking [ 5 ]. In mice, maternal IgG from breast milk can be transferred from the gut lumen to serum of pups via neonatal Fc receptors [ 51 ].…”

Section: Potential Explanations Extrinsic To the Developing Immune Sy...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Mature beyond their years: young children who escape detection of parasitemia despite living in settings of intense malaria transmission

Holla,

Bhardwaj,

Tran

2024

Biochemical Society Transactions

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Despite having the highest risk of progressing to severe disease due to lack of acquired immunity, the youngest children living in areas of highly intense malaria transmission have long been observed to be infected at lower rates than older children. Whether this observation is due to reduced exposure to infectious mosquito bites from behavioral and biological factors, maternally transferred immunity, genetic factors, or enhanced innate immunity in the young child has intrigued malaria researchers for over half a century. Recent evidence suggests that maternally transferred immunity may be limited to early infancy and that the young child's own immune system may contribute to control of malarial symptoms early in life and prior to the development of more effective adaptive immunity. Prospective studies of active and passive detection of Plasmodium falciparum blood-stage infections have identified young children (<5 years old) who remain uninfected through a defined surveillance period despite living in settings of highly intense malaria transmission. Yet, little is known about the potential immunological basis for this ‘aparasitemic’ phenotype. In this review, we summarize the observational evidence for this phenotype in field studies and examine potential reasons why these children escape detection of parasitemia, covering factors that are either extrinsic or intrinsic to their developing immune system. We discuss the challenges of distinguishing malaria protection from lack of malaria exposure in field studies. We also identify gaps in our knowledge regarding cellular immunity in the youngest age group and propose directions that researchers may take to address these gaps.

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The hormonal physiology of immune components in breast milk and their impact on the infant immune response

Cited by 12 publications

References 175 publications

Sex-Specific Associations between Prenatal Exposure to Di(2-ethylhexyl) Phthalate, Epigenetic Age Acceleration, and Susceptibility to Early Childhood Upper Respiratory Infections

Sex-Specific Associations between Prenatal Exposure to Di(2-ethylhexyl) Phthalate, Epigenetic Age Acceleration, and Susceptibility to Early Childhood Upper Respiratory Infections

The Effect of Holder Pasteurization and Different Variants on Breast Milk Antioxidants

Mature beyond their years: young children who escape detection of parasitemia despite living in settings of intense malaria transmission

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