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Human Milk Oligosaccharides: Their Effects on the Host and Their Potential as Therapeutic Agents.

ABSTRACT: Breastmilk is known to be very important for infants because it provides nutrients and immunological compounds. Among these compounds, human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) represent the third most important component of breastmilk after lipids and lactose. Several experiments demonstrated the beneficial effects of these components on the microbiota, the immune system and epithelial barriers, which are three major biological systems. Indeed, HMOs induce bacterial colonization in the intestinal tract, which is beneficial for health. The gut bacteria can act directly and indirectly on the immune system by stimulating innate immunity and controlling inflammatory reactions and by inducing an adaptive immune response and a tolerogenic environment. In parallel, HMOs directly strengthen the intestinal epithelial barrier, protecting the host against pathogens. Here, we review the molecular mechanisms of HMOs in these different compartments and highlight their potential use as new therapeutic agents, especially in allergy prevention.

SUBMITTER: Rousseaux A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8180913 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:The prevalence and incidence of allergic diseases is rising and these diseases have become the most common chronic diseases during childhood in Westernized countries. Early life forms a critical window predisposing for health or disease. Therefore, this can also be a window of opportunity for allergy prevention. Postnatally the gut needs to mature, and the microbiome is built which further drives the training of infant's immune system. Immunomodulatory components in breastmilk protect the infant in this crucial period by; providing nutrients that contain substrates for the microbiome, supporting intestinal barrier function, protecting against pathogenic infections, enhancing immune development and facilitating immune tolerance. The presence of a diverse human milk oligosaccharide (HMOS) mixture, containing several types of functional groups, points to engagement in several mechanisms related to immune and microbiome maturation in the infant's gastrointestinal tract. In recent years, several pathways impacted by HMOS have been elucidated, including their capacity to; fortify the microbiome composition, enhance production of short chain fatty acids, bind directly to pathogens and interact directly with the intestinal epithelium and immune cells. The exact mechanisms underlying the immune protective effects have not been fully elucidated yet. We hypothesize that HMOS may be involved in and can be utilized to provide protection from developing allergic diseases at a young age. In this review, we highlight several pathways involved in the immunomodulatory effects of HMOS and the potential role in prevention of allergic diseases. Recent studies have proposed possible mechanisms through which HMOS may contribute, either directly or indirectly, via microbiome modification, to induce oral tolerance. Future research should focus on the identification of specific pathways by which individual HMOS structures exert protective actions and thereby contribute to the capacity of the authentic HMOS mixture in early life allergy prevention.

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Human Milk Oligosaccharides: Their Effects on the Host and Their Potential as Therapeutic Agents.

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