title: Lactoferrin concentration in breast milk of mothers of low-birth-weight newborns.
abstract: Lactoferrin (LF) is a breast milk glycoprotein with protective effects against neonatal infections, mainly in premature and low-birth-weight (LBW) neonates. The aims of this study were to determine LF concentration in breast milk of mothers of LBW infants during the first 2 months postpartum, and to identify the factors associated with LF concentration.
  
  
  
  Prospective study conducted as a part of an ongoing clinical trial in three Neonatal Units in Peru. We included 346 mothers of neonates with a birth weight <2000 g. We measured LF concentration in four stages of lactation using a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit. Multivariate analysis was performed to assess the association between maternal and neonatal factors, and LF concentration.
  
  
  
  We collected 695 milk samples. LF mean concentration±standard deviation was 14.92±7.96 mg ml-1in colostrum (n=277), 10.73±5.67 in transitional milk (n=55), 10.34±6.27 at 1 month (n=259) and 8.52±6.47 at 2 months (n=104). There was a significant difference in LF concentration between different stages of lactation (P<0.001). Mothers with higher LF concentration in colostrum had higher values in the following 2 months. High maternal income and multiple gestation were significantly associated with higher LF levels; in contrast, maternal peripartum infections and male neonatal gender were associated with lower LF levels.
  
  
  
  LF concentration in breast milk of mothers of LBW infants was high and remained elevated even at 1 and 2 months postpartum. LF concentration in colostrum was higher in mothers with higher income and multiple pregnancies, and lower in mothers with peripartum infections.
authors.affiliation: Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru.
authors.forename: C G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Turin
authors.affiliation: Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zea-Vera
authors.affiliation: Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru.
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Rueda
authors.affiliation: Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mercado
authors.affiliation: Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru.
authors.forename: C P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Carcamo
authors.affiliation: Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru.|Hospital Nacional Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zegarra
authors.affiliation: Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru.|Hospital Nacional Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bellomo
authors.affiliation: Hospital Nacional Alberto Sabogal, Lima, Peru.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cam
authors.affiliation: Hospital Nacional Guillermo Almenara, Lima, Peru.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Castaneda
authors.affiliation: Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru.|Department of Epidemiology, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA.
authors.forename: T J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Ochoa
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001942:Breast Feeding; D003126:Colostrum / Q000737:chemistry*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D007223:Infant; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007774:Lactation / Q000502:physiology; D007781:Lactoferrin / Q000032:analysis*; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008895:Milk, Human / Q000737:chemistry*; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D010568:Peru; D049590:Postpartum Period; D011247:Pregnancy; D011272:Pregnancy, Multiple; D047928:Premature Birth; D011446:Prospective Studies; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D007781:Lactoferrin