Levels of innate immune factors in preterm and term mothers’ breast milk during the 1st month postpartum
- 19 February 2016
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Cambridge University Press (CUP) in British Journal of Nutrition
- Vol. 115 (7), 1178-1193
- https://doi.org/10.1017/s0007114516000234
Abstract
There is a paucity of data on the effect of preterm birth on the immunological composition of breast milk throughout the different stages of lactation. We aimed to characterise the effects of preterm birth on the levels of immune factors in milk during the 1st month postpartum, to determine whether preterm milk is deficient in antimicrobial factors. Colostrum (days 2–5 postpartum), transitional milk (days 8–12) and mature milk (days 26–30) were collected from mothers of extremely preterm (n15), very preterm (28–n15), moderately preterm (32–n15) and term infants (37–41 weeks of gestation,n15). Total protein, lactoferrin, secretory IgA, soluble CD14 receptor (sCD14), transforming growth factor-β2 (TGF-β2),αdefensin 5 (HD5),βdefensins 1 (HBD1) and 2, IL-6, IL-10, IL-13, interferon-γ, TNF-αand lysozyme (LZ) were quantified in milk. We examined the effects of lactation stage, gestational age, volume of milk expressed, mode of delivery, parity and maternal infection on milk immune factor concentrations using repeated-measures regression analysis. The concentrations of all factors except LZ and HD5 decreased over the 1st month postpartum. Extremely preterm mothers had significantly higher concentrations of HBD1 and TGF-β2 in colostrum than term mothers did. After controlling for other variables in regression analyses, preterm birth was associated with higher concentrations of HBD1, LZ and sCD14 in milk samples. In conclusion, preterm breast milk contains significantly higher concentrations of some immune proteins than term breast milk.Keywords
This publication has 55 references indexed in Scilit:
- RNA Sequencing of the Human Milk Fat Layer Transcriptome Reveals Distinct Gene Expression Profiles at Three Stages of LactationPLOS ONE, 2013
- Genetic Relatedness of Coagulase-negative Staphylococci From Gastrointestinal Tract and Blood of Preterm Neonates With Late-onset SepsisThe Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, 2013
- Lactation and Neonatal Nutrition: Defining and Refining the Critical QuestionsJournal of Mammary Gland Biology and Neoplasia, 2012
- Preterm Infants Have Deficient Monocyte and Lymphocyte Cytokine Responses to Group B StreptococcusInfection and Immunity, 2011
- TGF-β2 Suppresses Macrophage Cytokine Production and Mucosal Inflammatory Responses in the Developing IntestineGastroenterology, 2011
- Biologically active breast milk proteins in association with very preterm delivery and stage of lactationJournal of Perinatology, 2010
- Enteric defensins are essential regulators of intestinal microbial ecologyNature Immunology, 2009
- Epidemiology and causes of preterm birthThe Lancet, 2008
- Preterm milk as a source of protein for low birthweight infants.Archives of Disease in Childhood, 1984
- Effects of prematurity on the immunologic system in human milkThe Journal of Pediatrics, 1982