title: Clinical significance of amphiregulin and epidermal growth factor in colostrum.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Colostrum contains a wide variety of crucial nutritional elements including growth factors for newborn infants to adapt to the extrauterine environment.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the clinical significance of epidermal growth factor receptor ligands in milk during the first month of lactation.
  
  
  METHODS
  The concentrations of epidermal growth factor (EGF), amphiregulin (AR) and transforming growth factor-α (TGF-α) in milk sampled from a total of 31 normal mothers at days 1-3, 5, and 30 postpartum were examined using ELISA.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At days 1-3, the concentration of EGF was extremely high [131.6 ± 20.4 (mean ± SEM) ng/ml] compared to that of AR (4,197.2 ± 1,055.2 pg/ml) or TGF-α (261.7 ± 33.6 pg/ml), while the concentration of AR was significantly elevated compared to that of TGF-α. At days 5 and 30, the concentration of EGF was significantly elevated compared to that of AR or TGF-α. In 16 mothers among the same 31 subjects, samples were longitudinally obtained on days 1, 2, 5, and 30 postpartum. Concentrations of AR were higher on days 1 and 2 and rapidly declined to below 1 ng/ml on day 5, and were maintained at lower levels on day 30. Concentrations of EGF were high on day 1 (greater than 10 ng/ml) but gradually declined by days 2, 5, and 30. Concentrations of TGF-α remained at lower levels of below 1 ng/ml throughout the lactation period from days 1 to 30.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggested that EGF and amphiregulin in colostrum might contribute to the early stage of development of neonatal gastrointestinal function.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Fukuoka University, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nojiri
authors.forename: Toshiyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yoshizato
authors.forename: Tatsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fukami
authors.forename: Hirotsugu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Obama
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yagi
authors.forename: Fusanori
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Yotsumoto
authors.forename: Shingo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Miyamoto
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D066258:Amphiregulin; D003126:Colostrum / Q000378:metabolism*; D066255:EGF Family of Proteins; D004815:Epidermal Growth Factor / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D007774:Lactation; D008895:Milk, Human / Q000378:metabolism*; D016211:Transforming Growth Factor alpha / Q000378:metabolism*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: C587848:AREG protein, human; D066258:Amphiregulin; D066255:EGF Family of Proteins; D006023:Glycoproteins; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D016211:Transforming Growth Factor alpha; D004815:Epidermal Growth Factor