Human milk is a complex fluid that has developed to satisfy the nutritional requirements of infants. In addition to proteins, lipids, carbohydrates and other biologically active components, breast milk contains a diverse microbiome that is presumed to colonize the infant gastrointestinal tract and a heterogeneous population of cells with unclear physiological roles and health implications. Noteworthy cellular components of breast milk include progenitor/stem cells. This review summarizes the current state of knowledge of breast milk cells, including leukocytes, epithelial cells, stem cells and potentially probiotic bacteria.

Background: Human breast milk provides a child with complete nutrition but is also a popular therapeutic remedy that has been used in traditional, natural pharmacopeia, and ethnomedicine for many years. The aim of this current review is to summarize studies of non-nutritional uses of mothers’ milk. Methods: Two databases (PubMed and Google Scholar) were searched with a combination of twelve search terms. We selected articles that were published between 1 January 2010, and 1 January 2019. The language of publication was limited to English. Results: Fifteen studies were included in the systematic review. Ten of these were randomized controlled trials, one was a quasi-experimental study, two were in vitro studies, and four employed an animal research model. Conclusions: Many human milk components have shown promise in preclinical studies and are undergoing active clinical evaluation. The protective and treatment role of fresh breast milk is particularly important in areas where mothers and infants do not have ready access to medicine.

Background: Human milk, in addition to nutrients, contains many biologically active substances including immunoglobulins, growth factors, cytokines, and a diverse population of somatic cells. Breast milk involves no risk of allergy, contains antibodies, and contains factors such as epidermal growth factor (EGF) and erythropoietin, which may promote the growth and repair of skin cells. The discovery of stem cells and the HAMLET complex in breast milk has led to increased interest in human milk as a natural medicine. Aim of the study: The aim of the study was to identify the effect of topical application of breast milk on the separation time of the umbilical cord stump in newborns. Case report: This paper presents the case of a patient who decided to treat her child’s umbilical cord stump with colostrum/breast milk because her two older children had experienced long umbilical stump separation times. As a result of this treatment, separation of the stump occurred 90 hours after labor. There were no abnormalities in the construction of the navel, complications, or separation disorders of the umbilical cord stump. Conclusion: This research demonstrates that colostrum/mother’s milk was used as an easy, cheap, effective, and natural method of umbilical cord care.

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S u m m a r y Introduction. Human breastmilk is a complex fluid adapted to satisfy the nutritional requirements of an infant. Some studies indicate the presence of progenitor/stem cells in the human breastmilk. Aim. The aim of this study was to obtain in vitro culture of the breast milk-derived cells and identify expression of pluripotency genes in the cells. Material and methods. Mature breastmilk (20-30 ml) samples were obtained from health breastfeeding women in very early range of lactation in a aseptic way. The isolation procedure was based on the protocols described by Hassiotou et al. with modifications. The cells were cultured in vitro under standard conditions and characterized on molecular level. Results. The presence of the cells of various origin was detected in human breastmilk. The isolated breast-milk-derived cells were adherent to the plates. We found the expression of pluripotency genes: OCT4, SOX2 and NANOG in the isolated breastmilk cells by real-time PCR and present it in contrary to human bone-marrow derived stem cells. Conclusions. Human breastmilk contains a variety of cells. A population of progenitor/stem cells express pluripotency genes. Human breastmilk could be therefore a non-invasive source of progenitor cells for regenerative and personal medicine in the future. S t r e s z c z e n i e Wstęp. Właściwości odżywcze mleka kobiecego są znane od dawna, ale obecnie pokarm kobiecy jest traktowany jako element terapii. Badania wskazują na obecność w nim komórek progenitorowych/macierzystych. Cel pracy. Celem pracy było potwierdzenie obecności komórek macierzystych w mleku kobiecym oraz weryfikacja ich pluripotencjalności. Materiał i metody. Próbki mleka (20-30 ml) uzyskane były od zdrowych kobiet w 3. dobie po naturalnym porodzie. Izolacja komórek progenitorowych i macierzystych została przeprowadzona z zastosowaniem metody opisanej przez Hassiotou i wsp. z modyfikacjami. Wyizolowane komórki były hodowane w warunkach in vitro i charakteryzowane na poziomie molekularnym. Wyniki. W hodowli in vitro otrzymano kilka typów komórek. Komórki macierzyste zidentyfikowane w mleku wykazywały ekspresję genów pluripotencjalności: OCT4, SOX2, NANOG, w odróżnieniu od komórek kontrolnych. Wnioski. Mleko kobiece zawiera heterogenną populację komórek. Może być ono łatwodostępnym, nieinwazyjnym źródłem komórek progenitorowych i macierzystych o wzmożonej ekspresji genów pluripotencji.