2'-fucosyllactose: an abundant, genetically determined soluble glycan present in human milk.
Lactose is the preeminent soluble glycan in milk and a significant source of energy for most newborn mammals. Elongation of lactose with additional monosaccharides gives rise to a varied repertoire of free soluble glycans such as 2'-fucosyllactose (2'-FL), which is the most abundant oligosaccharide in human milk. In infants, 2'-FL is resistant to digestion and reaches the colon where it is partially fermented, behaving as soluble prebiotic fiber. Evidence also suggests that portions of small soluble milk glycans, including 2'-FL, are absorbed, thus raising the possibility of systemic biological effects. 2'-FL bears an epitope of the Secretor histo-blood group system; approximately 70-80% of all milk samples contain 2'-FL, since its synthesis depends on a fucosyltransferase that is not uniformly expressed. The fact that some infants are not exposed to 2'-FL has helped researchers to retrospectively probe for biological activities of this glycan. This review summarizes the attributes of 2'-FL in terms of its occurrence in mammalian phylogeny, its postulated biological activities, and its variability in human milk.
Abbott Nutrition Research Unit, University of Granada Science Park, Granada, Spain.
Esther
E
Castanys-Muñoz
Maria J
MJ
Martin
Pedro Antonio
PA
Prieto
D004063:Digestion; D005285:Fermentation; D005647:Fucosyltransferases / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007227:Infant Nutritional Physiological Phenomena / Q000502:physiology; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008895:Milk, Human / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D011134:Polysaccharides / Q000032:analysis; D056692:Prebiotics; D012995:Solubility; D014312:Trisaccharides / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*
D011134:Polysaccharides; D056692:Prebiotics; D014312:Trisaccharides; D005647:Fucosyltransferases; C031420:2'-fucosyllactose
2′-fucosyllactose; breastfeeding; evolution; glycans; milk; oligosaccharides; prebiotic