title: Metabolic fate of milk glycosaminoglycans in breastfed and formula fed newborns.
abstract: In this study, the content, structure and residual percentages of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) in the feces of seven breastfed newborns after ingesting a known amount of milk were studied. A comparison was made with five newborns fed with formula milk. Characterization of GAGs from milk and feces samples was performed according to previous methodology. Compared to the ingested GAGs present in milk, residual feces GAGs of breastfed newborns were <0.4 %, contrary to formula milk fed children, where the residues were ~4 %. As a consequence, >99 % of human milk GAGs are utilized as opposed to ~96 % of formula milk. Hyaluronic acid utilization was found to be fairly similar contrary to chondroitin sulfate/dermatan sulfate and heparan sulfate, which were found to be ~10-18 times lower in formula milk fed children. Our new results further demonstrate that the elevated content of human milk GAGs passes undigested through the entire digestive system of newborns, possibly protecting the infant from infections. In the distal gastrointestinal tract, these complex macromolecules are catabolized by a cohort of bacterial enzymes and constituent monosaccharides/oligosaccharides utilized for further metabolic purposes potentially useful for bacteria metabolism or internalized by intestinal cells. Thanks to their elevated structural heterogeneity, milk GAGs are used differently depending on their distinct primary structure. Finally, a different utilization and availability was observed for human milk GAGs compared to formula milk due to their various composition and structural heterogeneity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Sciences, University of Modena & Reggio Emilia, Via Campi 213/D, 41125, Modena, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Maccari
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Sciences, University of Modena & Reggio Emilia, Via Campi 213/D, 41125, Modena, Italy.
authors.forename: Veronica
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Mantovani
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Sciences, Polytechnic University of the Marche, Ospedali Riuniti, Presidio Salesi, Ancona, Italy.
authors.forename: Orazio
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Gabrielli
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Ascoli Piceno Hospital, Ascoli Piceno, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Carlucci
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Sciences, Polytechnic University of the Marche, Ospedali Riuniti, Presidio Salesi, Ancona, Italy.
authors.forename: Lucia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zampini
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Sciences, Polytechnic University of the Marche, Ospedali Riuniti, Presidio Salesi, Ancona, Italy.
authors.forename: Tiziana
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Galeazzi
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Sciences, University of Modena & Reggio Emilia, Via Campi 213/D, 41125, Modena, Italy.
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Galeotti
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Sciences, Polytechnic University of the Marche, Ospedali Riuniti, Presidio Salesi, Ancona, Italy.
authors.forename: Giovanni V
authors.initials: GV
authors.lastname: Coppa
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Sciences, University of Modena & Reggio Emilia, Via Campi 213/D, 41125, Modena, Italy. volpi@unimo.it.
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Volpi
mesh_terms: D001942:Breast Feeding; D005260:Female; D006025:Glycosaminoglycans / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D041943:Infant Formula; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008895:Milk, Human / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D006025:Glycosaminoglycans
keywords: Breastfeeding; Chondroitin sulfate; Glycosaminoglycans; Heparan sulfate; Human milk; Hyaluronic acid; Newborn feces