Resumen
Purpose of review Breastfeeding provides passive immunity while the neonatal immune system matures, and may also protect against chronic immune-mediated conditions long after weaning. This review summarizes current knowledge and new discoveries about human milk and mucosal immunity. Recent findings New data suggest that certain microbes in maternal milk may seed and shape the infant gut microbiota, which play a key role in regulating gut barrier integrity and training the developing immune system. Human milk oligosaccharides, best known for their prebiotic functions, have now been shown to directly modulate gene expression in mast and goblet cells in the gastrointestinal tract. Epidemiologic data show a reduced risk of peanut sensitization among infants breastfed by peanut-consuming mothers, suggesting a role for milk-borne food antigens in tolerance development. Cross-fostering experiments in mice suggest the soluble Toll-like receptor 2, found in human milk, may be critical in this process. Finally, interest in human milk antibodies surged during the pandemic with the identification of neutralizing severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 antibodies in maternal milk following both natural infection and vaccination. Summary Human milk provides critical immune protection and stimulation to breastfed infants. Understanding the underlying mechanisms could identify new therapeutic targets and strategies for disease prevention across the lifespan.
Idioma original | English |
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Páginas (desde-hasta) | 547-556 |
Número de páginas | 10 |
Publicación | Current Opinion in Gastroenterology |
Volumen | 37 |
N.º | 6 |
DOI | |
Estado | Published - nov. 1 2021 |
Nota bibliográfica
Funding Information:This work was supported by a Canadian Institutes of Health Research Project Grant #156155 and a Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Grant #INV-001734. M.B.A. is supported by Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in the Developmental Origins of Chronic Disease at the University of Manitoba and is a Fellow in the CIFAR Humans and the Microbiome Program.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.
ASJC Scopus Subject Areas
- Gastroenterology
PubMed: MeSH publication types
- Journal Article
- Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
- Review