Abstract
Hormones are important biological regulators, controlling development and physiological processes throughout life. We investigated pituitary hormones such as follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), prolactin (PRL) and total protein levels during the first 6 months of lactation. Breast milk samples were collected every fourth week of lactation from mothers who gave birth to preterm (n = 14) or term (n = 16) infants. Donor milk is suggested when own mother’s milk is not available; therefore, we collected breast milk samples before and after Holder pasteurization (HoP) from the Breast Milk Collection Center of Pécs, Hungary. Three infant formulas prepared in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of the University of Pécs were tested at three different time points. Our aim was to examine the hormone content of own mother’s milk and donor milk. There were no significant changes over time in the concentrations of any hormone. Preterm milk had higher PRL (28.2 ± 2.5 vs. 19.3 ± 2.3 ng/mL) and LH (36.3 ± 8.8 vs. 15.9 ± 4.1 mIU/L) concentrations than term milk during the first 6 months of lactation. Total protein and FSH concentrations did not differ between preterm and term breast milk. Holder pasteurization decreased the PRL concentration (30.4 ± 1.8 vs. 14.4 ± 0.6 ng/mL) and did not affect gonadotropin levels of donor milk. Infant formulas have higher total protein content than breast milk but do not contain detectable levels of pituitary hormones. Differences were detected in the content of pituitary hormones produced for preterm and term infants. Divergence between feeding options offers opportunities for improvement of nutritional guidelines for both hospital and home feeding practices.
Highlights
Introduction published maps and institutional affilHuman milk is considered the best source of nutrition for infants, in part because it contains hormones, growth factors, cytokines, and immunoglobulins [1,2]
We aimed to examine the presence of PRL, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and luteinizing hormone (LH) in preterm and term milk during the first 6 months of lactation, and to investigate the effects of Holder pasteurization (HoP) on the hormone content in donor breast milk samples
The FSH:LH ratios we found in preterm and term breast milk were similar to those previously reported in maternal and donor breast milk [9]
Summary
Human milk is considered the best source of nutrition for infants, in part because it contains hormones, growth factors, cytokines, and immunoglobulins [1,2]. Hormones are important regulators of physiological functions and development from the beginning of life [3]. Maternal hormones expose the embryologic development through transplacental circulation, and it is known that amniotic fluid is a transport milieu of hormones [4,5]. Breast milk is the exclusive source of maternal hormones, exerting their effects via intestinal absorption or locally in gastrointestinal tract [6,7]. It is known that milk of mothers who gave birth to preterm infants differs from breast milk produced for term infants [11].
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