2024-03-01 12:00:03
Breast milk has a weapon influencing the health of infants well beyond antibodies.
Science has shed light on a component of breast milk, called the complement system, which plays a crucial role in protecting babies against infections by shaping the bacterial composition of their gut. This discovery, resulting from a research (Scientific research primarily refers to all actions undertaken with a view to…) led by the School of Public health (Public health can be defined in various ways. Indeed, it can…) Bloomberg’sUniversité (A university is an establishment of higher education whose objective is…) Johns Hopkins, reveals new mechanisms by which the breastmilk (This article describes human breast milk.) promotes the health (Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and does not consist…) infantile.
Scientists have observed in mouse pups that those fed mouse milk lacking a protein (A protein is a biological macromolecule composed of one or more…) key complement presented an intestinal microbial population different (In mathematics, the different is defined in algebraic theory of…) of those breastfed with normal breast milk. This difference made the former particularly vulnerable to bacterium (Bacteria (Bacteria) are prokaryotic unicellular living organisms, characterized…) pathogenic (The term pathogenic (from the Greek παθογ?νεια!…) specific, Citrobacter rodentium, analogous to strains of E. coli causing diarrhea in humans. The study showed that components of the complement system in breast milk could directly eliminate certain bacteria in the intestine, effectively protecting young mice from infection.
These results, published in the journal Cellindicate that breast milk complement proteins contribute significantly to the establishment of a microbiota (The microbiota is a new name for microflora.) protective intestinal during the early stages of development, promoting the health of the child and defending it against pathogens. This activity (The term activity can designate a profession.) protective is independent of antibodies, thus revealing a facet of the immunity conferred by breast milk.
Breastfeeding is recognized for its many benefits, providing nutrition (Nutrition (from the Latin nutrire: to nourish) designates the processes by which a being…) optimal to infants and protects them against certain infections thanks to the sharing of antibodies and white blood cells from the mother. However, the precise role of complement proteins contained in breast milk has until now been less well understood. This study highlights their importance in modulating the intestinal microbiota of infants, thus providing increased protection against intestinal inflammation and infections.
These discoveries not only deepen our understanding of the protective mechanisms of breast milk but also open the way to new research, in particular on the specific biology of complement proteins in breast milk and their role beyond immune system (An organism’s immune system is a coordinated set of elements…) specific.
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