A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal
Infants Are Exposed to Human Milk Oligosaccharides Already in utero
Authors: Wise A, Robertson B, Choudhury B, Rautava S, Isolauri E, Salminen S, Bode L
Publisher: FRONTIERS MEDIA SA
Publication year: 2018
Journal: Frontiers in Pediatrics
Journal name in source: FRONTIERS IN PEDIATRICS
Journal acronym: FRONT PEDIATR
Article number: ARTN 270
Volume: 6
Number of pages: 4
ISSN: 2296-2360
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fped.2018.00270
Self-archived copy’s web address: https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/36035252
Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) are complex carbohydrates that are highly abundant in and, in their complexity, unique to human milk. Accumulating evidence indicates that exposure to HMOs in the postnatal period affects immediate as well as long-term infant health and development. However, studies reported in the 1970s showed that HMOs already appear in maternal urine and blood during pregnancy and as early as the first trimester. In this pilot study we aimed to determine whether or not HMOs also appear in amniotic fluid. We enrolled women during pregnancy and collected their urine and amniotic fluid at birth as well as their milk 4 days postpartum. We analyzed the samples by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and mass spectrometry and identified several HMOs including 2'-fucosyllactose, 3-fucosyllactose, difucosyllactose, and 6'-sialyllactose to be present in different relative abundancies in all three tissues. This is the first report that HMOs appear in amniotic fluid and that the fetus is already exposed to HMOs in utero, warranting future research to investigate the immediate and long-term implications on fetal and infant health and development.
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