Comparative Lipidomic Analysis Reveals the Lactational Changes in the Lipid Profiles of Chinese Human Milk

Abstract

Human milk (HM) lipid plays a crucial role in infant development, whereas its complex lipid profiles and its dynamic changes during prolonged lactation have not been investigated yet. Comparative lipidomic analyses were employed in investigating the lipid profiles of breast milk covering all lactation stages herein. Results revealed significant differences between colostrum and the remaining lactations. A total of 237 species of glycerolipids (GLs) and 231 phospholipids (PLs) were identified. Colostrum had the most abundant lipid species and was enriched with triacylglycerols (TGs) with a high molecular weight.

Comparison of the Lipid Composition of Milk Fat Globules in Goat (Capra hircus) Milk during Different Lactations and Human Milk

“…For SPs ( Figure 5 E), except for ceramide-esterified omega-hydroxy fatty acid-dihydrosphingosine (Cer-EODS), all lipids exhibited higher concentrations in human milk compared with goat milk and followed the same trend as GLs throughout lactation. Among these lipids, SM was found to be the most abundant in SPs, which is consistent with previous findings indicating its higher abundance in mammals [ 24 ]. SM can provide choline, promote the production of neurotransmitters in the brain, and contribute to brain development [ 50 ].…”

“…In contrast, the fat content of human milk was significantly lower than goat milk at each stage. Similar changes in lipid content during lactation were observed in the raw milk of other animals [ 29 ], yet contrary to the results for human milk during different lactations [ 24 ], underscoring the need for a comprehensive analysis of lipids across various lactation phases. The protein components and regulatory mechanisms involved in the lipid secretion pathway in mammary epithelial cells remain unclear [ 9 ].…”

“…These volunteers provided written informed consent indicating that their human milk would be used only for scientific research and confirming that they did not use drugs prior to collection. The number of samples and postpartum days were referenced following the study conducted by Wang et al and Wu et al [ 23 , 24 ]. All raw milk samples were shipped within 1 day and stored at −80 °C until experimental analysis.…”

Dietary intake of different ratios of ARA/DHA in early stages and its impact on infant development

“…Specifically, the ARA/DHA ratio in breast milk was generally high in China, with values ranging from 1.5 to 2.5 in colostrum, 1.2 to 2.2 in transitional milk, and 0.8 to 2.9 in mature milk. 32 Some regions in China, such as Wuxi, 35 presented a relatively low ARA/DHA ratio in breast milk, possibly due to the high consumption of DHA-rich foods like fish, shrimp, shellfish. Conversely, breast milk from Hohhot and Changchun manifested a higher ARA/DHA ratio, fluctuating between 1.9 and 2.9.…”

Lipase-Catalyzed Synthesis of Structured Fatty Acids Enriched with Medium and Long-Chain n-3 Fatty Acids via Solvent-Free Transesterification of Skipjack Tuna Eyeball Oil and Commercial Butterfat

“…However, in the present study, 93.8% of TAGs remained intact in M-STEO. The concentration of fatty acids and their glycerides category in human milk depends on ethnicity, region, lactation stage, maternal diet, and mammary gland synthesis ability [43]. However, human milk mainly consists of TAGs (98-99%) with a small amount of DAGs and MAGs all over the lactation period [44].…”