Document Type
Journal Article
Publication Title
Pediatric Allergy and Immunology
Volume
35
Issue
9
PubMed ID
39221598
Publisher
Wiley
School
School of Medical and Health Sciences
Funders
WA Child Research Fund (RA/1/3027/386) / Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation / National Health and Medical Research Council / Telethon-Perth Children's Hospital Research Fund / Career Development Fellowship / Telethon Kids Institute Ascend Fellowship / Government of Australia / Paul Ramsay Foundation / Joondalup Health Campus
Grant Number
NHMRC Number : 1099480, 1144544
Abstract
Background: Immunomodulatory proteins in human milk (HM) can shape infant immune development. However, strategies to modulate their levels are currently unknown. This study investigated whether maternal prebiotic supplementation alters the levels of immunomodulatory proteins in HM. Methods: The study was nested within the SYMBA double-blind randomized controlled trial (ACTRN12615001075572), which investigated the effects of maternal prebiotic (short-chain galacto-oligosaccharides/long-chain fructo-oligosaccharides) supplementation from <21 weeks gestation during pregnancy until 6 months postnatal during lactation on child allergic disease risk. Mother–child dyads receiving prebiotics (n = 46) or placebo (n = 54) were included in this study. We measured the levels of 24 immunomodulatory proteins in HM collected at 2, 4, and 6 months. Results: Cluster analysis showed that the overall immunomodulatory protein composition of milk samples from both groups was similar. At 2 months, HM of prebiotic-supplemented women had decreased levels of TGF-β1 and TSLP (95% CI: −17.4 [−29.68, −2.28] and −57.32 [−94.22, −4.7] respectively) and increased levels of sCD14 (95% CI: 1.81 [0.17, 3.71]), when compared to the placebo group. At 4 months, IgG1 was lower in the prebiotic group (95% CI: −1.55 [−3.55, −0.12]) compared to placebo group. Conclusion: This exploratory study shows that prebiotic consumption by lactating mothers selectively alters specific immunomodulatory proteins in HM. This finding is crucial for understanding how prebiotic dietary recommendations for pregnant and lactating women can modify the immune properties of HM and potentially influence infant health outcomes through immune support from breastfeeding.
DOI
10.1111/pai.14226
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Comments
Divakara, N., Dempsey, Z., Saraswati, C., Garssen, J., Silva, D., Keelan, J. A., ... & Macchiaverni, P. (2024). Effect of maternal prebiotic supplementation on human milk immunological composition: Insights from the SYMBA study. Pediatric Allergy and Immunology, 35(9). https://doi.org/10.1111/pai.14226