title: Affinity chromatographic identification and quantitation of blood group A-active oligosaccharides in human milk and feces of breast-fed infants.
abstract: The finding of large quantities of blood group A-active oligosaccharides in the feces of a blood group A breast-fed infant motivated a search for the origin of these compounds. Using an affinity chromatographic technique, the nature of A-active oligosaccharides in human milk is demonstrated. The amounts of A-active tetrasaccharide (A-tetra) and the Lewis b-active lacto-N-difucohexaose I (LND-I) varied between 19-375 mg/L for A-tetra and 14-710 mg/L for LND-I. Using the same technique, the amounts of A-tetra and LND-I in milk samples from five women of different blood groups were compared with those in the feces of their breast-fed infants. The A-tetra was present only in feces from infants of blood group A or AB mothers and the amount per 24 h corresponded roughly to that in a I-L portion of milk. One of the milk samples was also analyzed for the presence of larger A-active oligosaccharides (A-pentasaccharide, A-hexasaccharide, and A-heptasaccharide). Their amounts were much less as compared to the amounts present in feces. These results indicate that milk is a possible source for the smallest A-tetrasaccharide found in the feces of breast-fed infants, while the larger A-active oligosaccharides might be the result of an intestinal metabolic modification.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Chemistry, University Hospital, Lund, Sweden.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sabharwal
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sjöblad
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lundblad
mesh_terms: D000017:ABO Blood-Group System; D001942:Breast Feeding; D002846:Chromatography, Affinity; D005243:Feces / Q000737:chemistry*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008895:Milk, Human / Q000737:chemistry*; D009844:Oligosaccharides / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D000017:ABO Blood-Group System; D009844:Oligosaccharides