@misc{10481/54982,
year = {2018},
month = {8},
url = {http://hdl.handle.net/10481/54982},
abstract = {Maternal milk contains compounds that may affect newborn immunity. Among these
are a group of oligosaccharides that are synthesized in the mammary gland from lactose;
these oligosaccharides have been termed human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs). The amount of
HMOs present in human milk is greater than the amount of protein. In fact, HMOs are the third-most
abundant solid component in maternal milk after lactose and lipids, and are thus considered to
be key components. The importance of HMOs may be explained by their inhibitory effects on the
adhesion of microorganisms to the intestinal mucosa, the growth of pathogens through the production
of bacteriocins and organic acids, and the expression of genes that are involved in inflammation.
This review begins with short descriptions of the basic structures of HMOs and the gut immune
system, continues with the beneficial effects of HMOs shown in cell and animal studies, and it ends
with the observational and randomized controlled trials carried out in humans to date, with particular
emphasis on their effect on immune system development. HMOs seem to protect breastfed infants
against microbial infections. The protective effect has been found to be exerted through cell signaling
and cell-to-cell recognition events, enrichment of the protective gut microbiota, the modulation of
microbial adhesion, and the invasion of the infant intestinal mucosa. In addition, infants fed formula
supplemented with selected HMOs exhibit a pattern of inflammatory cytokines closer to that of
exclusively breastfed infants. Unfortunately, the positive effects found in preclinical studies have
not been substantiated in the few randomized, double-blinded, multicenter, controlled trials that are
available, perhaps partly because these studies focus on aspects other than the immune response
(e.g., growth, tolerance, and stool microbiota).},
publisher = {MDPI},
keywords = {Human milk oligosaccharides},
keywords = {Intestinal immune system},
keywords = {Microbiota},
title = {Human Milk Oligosaccharides and Immune System Development},
author = {Plaza Díaz, Julio and Fontana Gallego, Luis and Gil Hernández, Ángel},
}