Colostrum and mature human milk of women from London, Moscow and Verona: determinants of immune composition
File(s)
Published version
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Cytokines and growth factors in colostrum and mature milk may play an important role in infant immune maturation, and may vary significantly between populations. We aimed to examine associations between environmental and maternal factors, and human milk (HM) cytokine and growth factor levels. We recruited 398 pregnant/lactating women in United Kingdom, Russia and Italy. Participants underwent skin prick testing, questionnaire interview, colostrum and mature milk sampling. HM cytokine and growth factor levels were quantified by electro-chemiluminescence. We found significant geographical variation in growth factor levels, but no evidence of variation between sites in cytokine detectability. There was an inverse correlation between time of milk sampling and growth factor levels in colostrum for HGF and TGFβ1; and 3 but not TGFβ2, and levels were significantly higher in colostrum than mature milk for all growth factors. The kinetics of decline were different for each growth factor. Cytokines were present at much lower levels than growth factors, and the decline over time was less consistent. HM growth factors and cytokine levels vary between populations for unknown reasons. Levels of HM mediators decline at different rates postpartum, and these findings suggest specific biological roles for HM growth factors and cytokines in early postnatal development.
Date Issued
2016-11-03
Date Acceptance
2016-10-28
Citation
Nutrients, 2016, 8 (11)
ISSN
2072-6643
Publisher
MDPI
Journal / Book Title
Nutrients
Volume
8
Issue
11
Copyright Statement
© 2016 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access
article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution
(CC-BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution
(CC-BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Identifier
http://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/8/11/695/htm
Subjects
colostrum
cytokines
environmental influence
growth factors
human milk
immune modulators
immunologically active molecules
1111 Nutrition And Dietetics
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
695