Bioactive Components in Human Milk Along the First Month of Life: Effects of Iodine Supplementation during Pregnancy

2016 ◽  
Vol 68 (2) ◽  
pp. 130-136 ◽  
Author(s):  
Inés Velasco ◽  
Cristina Santos ◽  
Juan Limón ◽  
Elena Pascual ◽  
Lucía Zarza ◽  
...  

Background/Aims: Human milk is considered the most suitable food for infants. The potential benefits of breastfeeding can be explained by the presence of different growth and neurotrophic factors in human milk. This study was designed to detect some biomarkers in human milk, which could be involved in the infant neurodevelopment and in the regulation of the maturation of neonatal intestine (brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21), lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) and autotaxin (ATX)), and compare them on the basis of the consumption of iodine supplements or multivitamins. Methods: A prospective study included 37 healthy breastfeeding mothers, divided into 3 different groups: (1) 10 mothers who did not take supplements, (2) 17 mothers who took potassium iodine (KI) 200 µg/day and (3) 10 mothers who took a multivitamin supplement. Results: The concentrations of BDNF, GDNF, GFAP, FGF21, LPA and ATX in human milk were not significantly different in women who took a multivitamin or KI supplement compared with those who did not take any supplement. Conclusions: The presence of neurotrophic factors in human milk is neither modified by the consumption of supplements nor by their type.

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 2551
Author(s):  
Per Torp Sangild ◽  
Caitlin Vonderohe ◽  
Valeria Melendez Hebib ◽  
Douglas G. Burrin

Bovine colostrum (BC), the first milk produced from cows after parturition, is increasingly used as a nutritional supplement to promote gut function and health in other species, including humans. The high levels of whey and casein proteins, immunoglobulins (Igs), and other milk bioactives in BC are adapted to meet the needs of newborn calves. However, BC supplementation may improve health outcomes across other species, especially when immune and gut functions are immature in early life. We provide a review of BC composition and its effects in infants and children in health and selected diseases (diarrhea, infection, growth-failure, preterm birth, necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), short-bowel syndrome, and mucositis). Human trials and animal studies (mainly in piglets) are reviewed to assess the scientific evidence of whether BC is a safe and effective antimicrobial and immunomodulatory nutritional supplement that reduces clinical complications related to preterm birth, infections, and gut disorders. Studies in infants and animals suggest that BC should be supplemented at an optimal age, time, and level to be both safe and effective. Exclusive BC feeding is not recommended for infants because of nutritional imbalances relative to human milk. On the other hand, adverse effects, including allergies and intolerance, appear unlikely when BC is provided as a supplement within normal nutrition guidelines for infants and children. Larger clinical trials in infant populations are needed to provide more evidence of health benefits when patients are supplemented with BC in addition to human milk or formula. Igs and other bioactive factors in BC may work in synergy, making it critical to preserve bioactivity with gentle processing and pasteurization methods. BC has the potential to become a safe and effective nutritional supplement for several pediatric subpopulations.


2002 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-34
Author(s):  
Stephen W. Carmichael

Since the discovery of nerve growth factor, it has been thought that neurotrophic factors are released or secreted from target cells. However, more recently it has been suggested that a specific neurotrophic factor known as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) may reach target cells directly from pre-synaptic axons. It has not been known how these molecules get from the neuron in which they are produced to the target cells. Keigo Kohara, Akihiko Kitamura, Mieko Morishima, and Tadaharu Tsumoto have demonstrated that BDNF is transported anterogradely from presynaptic neurons to target neurons.


2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerard W. O'Keeffe ◽  
Shane V. Hegarty ◽  
Aideen M. Sullivan

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease, characterized by the degeneration of midbrain dopaminergic (mDA) neurons and their axons, and aggregation of α-synuclein, which leads to motor and late-stage cognitive impairments. As the motor symptoms of PD are caused by the degeneration of a specific population of mDA neurons, PD lends itself to neurotrophic factor therapy. The goal of this therapy is to apply a neurotrophic factor that can slow down, halt or even reverse the progressive degeneration of mDA neurons. While the best known neurotrophic factors are members of the glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) family, their lack of clinical efficacy to date means that it is important to continue to study other neurotrophic factors. Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) are naturally secreted proteins that play critical roles during nervous system development and in the adult brain. In this review, we provide an overview of the BMP ligands, BMP receptors (BMPRs) and their intracellular signalling effectors, the Smad proteins. We review the available evidence that BMP–Smad signalling pathways play an endogenous role in mDA neuronal survival in vivo, before outlining how exogenous application of BMPs exerts potent effects on mDA neuron survival and axon growth in vitro and in vivo. We discuss the molecular mechanisms that mediate these effects, before highlighting the potential of targeting the downstream effectors of BMP–Smad signalling as a novel neuroprotective approach to slow or stop the degeneration of mDA neurons in PD.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yue Zhu ◽  
Mengqiu Liu ◽  
Suchen Qu ◽  
Cheng Cao ◽  
Chongqi Wei ◽  
...  

Elaphuri Davidiani Cornu (EDC) is the natural shedding horn of Elaphurus davidiauus Millne-Edwards that was used by people in ancient China for maintaining physical and mental health. We evaluated the antidepressant effect of EDC using depression-like animal models and explored possible mechanisms in mouse primary astrocyte cultures. We found that aqueous extracts of EDC significantly improved depression-like behavior in a mouse model of depression. The extracts enhanced expression of nerve growth factor and brain-derived neurotrophic factor neurotrophic factors in mouse prefrontal cortex and hippocampus tissues. In the mouse primary astrocyte cultures, the EDC aqueous extracts significantly increased the neurotrophic factor expression both at the transcriptional and protein levels. EDC extracts might exhibit these functions by regulating matrix metalloprotein-9 of the nerve growth factor and brain-derived neurotrophic factor metabolic pathways and might enhance expression of neurotrophic factors via the cAMP- and ERK-dependent pathways. We confirmed this possibility by showing the effects of related inhibitors, providing scientific evidence that supports the utility of EDC in the development of drugs to treat major depressive disorders.


Biologia ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 72 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariana Brozmanová ◽  
Jozef Hatok ◽  
Michal Hennel ◽  
Miloš Tatár ◽  
Andrea Vážanová

AbstractEsophageal sensory and motor nerves contribute to the symptoms of eosinophilic esophagitis, however, the mechanisms of this neural dysfunction are essentially unknown. We addressed the hypothesis that eosinophilic inflammation in the esophagus alters production of the key regulators of neural function neurotrophins and neurotrophic factors. We developed and optimized the model of allergic eosinophilic inflammation of esophageal mucosa induced by localized administration of allergen ovalbumin into the esophagus in ovalbumin-sensitized guinea pigs. We evaluated changes in expression of nerve growth factor (NGF), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) and artemin in esophageal mucosa by quantitative RT-PCR. We found that the administration of ovalbumin into the esophageal wall of sensitized animals induced a massive eosinophilic infiltration restricted to esophageal mucosa (3 ± 1 vs. 97 ± 23 eosinophils per high power filed). This inflammatory response altered the expression profile of selected neurotrophic factors. The BDNF mRNA was increased (to 200%), artemin mRNA was decreased (to 50%) while NGF and GDNF was not changed. We conclude that a strong eosinophilic inflammation can be induced in guinea pigs and alters the expression of neurotrophins and neurotrophic factors. Our findings will aid mechanistic studies of neural dysfunction in eosinophilic esophagitis.


2019 ◽  
Vol 59 (3) ◽  
pp. 130-8
Author(s):  
Dessy Shinta Murty ◽  
Hasriza Eka Putra ◽  
Sri Mulatsih ◽  
Neti Nurani ◽  
Tunjung Wibowo

Background The macronutrients in human milk change dynamically and vary among mothers. Evaluation of macronutrient content in human milk is needed to improve nutritional management in preterm infants. Objective To measure the macronutrient content in preterm and full term human milk during three lactation periods in the first three weeks after delivery. Methods We conducted a prospective study among 80 mothers of infants who were hospitalized in the Department of Perinatology/NICU at Sardjito Hospital, Yogyakarta. Carbohydrate, fat, protein, and caloric content were measured using a MIRIS human milk analyzer, once per week for three consecutive weeks after delivery. A single, daytime human milk specimen was collected in the morning by directly expressing from the breast. Results Median protein, fat, carbohydrate, and caloric contents of mature milk in the preterm group were 1.40 (IQR 0.38), 3.25 (IQR 1.00), 5.70 (IQR 0.80) g/dL, and 60 kcal/dL, respectively. Median protein, fat, carbohydrate, and caloric contents of mature milk in the full term group were 1.40 (IQR 0.35), 3.30 (IQR 0.77), 5.80 (IQR 0.75) g/dL, and 62 kcal/dL, respectively, at the third week after delivery. In both groups, protein content in the first week was significantly higher than in the third week (P<0.001) after delivery. In contrast, fat content in the first week was significantly lower than in the third week (P< 0.05) after delivery, in both groups. Conclusions There are no significant differences in macronutrient and caloric content between preterm and full term human milk during the first three weeks after delivery. However, there are significant changes in fat and protein content in both preterm and full term human milk during early lactation, between the first and third weeks.


2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (17) ◽  
pp. 4314 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie Claes ◽  
Lies De Groef ◽  
Lieve Moons

Glaucoma and other optic neuropathies are characterized by axonal transport deficits. Axonal cargo travels back and forth between the soma and the axon terminus, a mechanism ensuring homeostasis and the viability of a neuron. An example of vital molecules in the axonal cargo are neurotrophic factors (NTFs). Hindered retrograde transport can cause a scarcity of those factors in the retina, which in turn can tilt the fate of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) towards apoptosis. This postulation is one of the most widely recognized theories to explain RGC death in the disease progression of glaucoma and is known as the NTF deprivation theory. For several decades, research has been focused on the use of NTFs as a novel neuroprotective glaucoma treatment. Until now, results in animal models have been promising, but translation to the clinic has been highly disappointing. Are we lacking important knowledge to lever NTF therapies towards the therapeutic armamentarium? Or did we get the wrong end of the stick regarding the NTF deprivation theory? In this review, we will tackle the existing evidence and caveats advocating for and against the target-derived NTF deprivation theory in glaucoma, whilst digging into associated therapy efforts.


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