Abstract
The composition of bioactive factors with immune activity in human breast milk is widely studied. However, the knowledge on rat milk immune factors during the whole lactation period is still scarce. This study aimed to analyze rat breast milk’s immunoglobulin (Ig) content and some critical adipokines and growth factors throughout the lactation period, and to assess relationships with corresponding plasma levels. During lactation, milk concentration of the transforming growth factor (TGF)-β2 and -β3 showed a punctual increase in the first week, whereas adiponectin and leptin remained stable. In the second period of lactation (d14–21), despite the increase in the milk epidermal growth factor (EGF), a decrease in fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) was detected at day 21. Milk IgA concentration had a progressive increase during lactation, while no significant changes were found in IgM and IgG. Regarding plasma levels, a decrease in all studied adipokines was observed in the second period of lactation, with the exception of IgA and TGF-β1, which reached their highest values at the end of the study. A positive correlation in IgM, IgG, and adipokine concentration was detected between milk and plasma compartments. In summary, the changes in the pattern of these bioactive compounds in rat milk and plasma and their relationships during lactation are established.
Highlights
IntroductionIts composition contains all the necessary nutrients for the baby’s development and adapts to the baby’s nutritional requirements during lactation, it is known that breastfed infants may have some vitamin D or iron deficiencies [1,2,3,4], or even vitamin B12 in vegan mothers, which can be solved with supplementation to the baby or the lactating mother [5,6]
Published: 11 April 2021Breast milk is the most suitable food for the newborn
We found that epidermal growth factor (EGF) concentration increased in the second period of lactation, which is consistent with an increase previously reported on day 19 of lactation in rats and on day 15 in mice [67,70]
Summary
Its composition contains all the necessary nutrients for the baby’s development and adapts to the baby’s nutritional requirements during lactation, it is known that breastfed infants may have some vitamin D or iron deficiencies [1,2,3,4], or even vitamin B12 in vegan mothers, which can be solved with supplementation to the baby or the lactating mother [5,6] Besides this high nutritional value, breast milk is a rich source of a great variety of bioactive compounds with health benefits for the baby [7]. In this context, knowing the composition of the breast milk of experimental animals highly used in research, such as the rat, might be useful for studying different hypotheses that otherwise would not be possible to perform in human trials for various
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
