Human milk mucin inhibits rotavirus replication and prevents experimental gastroenteritis.

Abstract

Acute gastrointestinal infections due to rotaviruses and other enteric pathogens are major causes of morbidity and mortality in infants and young children throughout the world. Breastfeeding can reduce the rate of serious gastroenteritis in infants; however, the degrees of protection offered against rotavirus infection vary in different populations. The mechanisms associated with milk-mediated protection against viral gastroenteritis have not been fully elucidated.We have isolated a macromolecular component of human milk that inhibits the replication of rotaviruses in tissue culture and prevents the development of gastroenteritis in an animal model system. Purification of the component indicates that the antiviral activity is associated with an acidic fraction (pI = 4.0-4.6), which is free of detectable immunoglobulins. Furthermore, high levels of antiviral activity are associated with an affinity-purified complex of human milk mucin. Deglycosylation of the mucin complex results in the loss of antiviral activity. Further purification indicated that rotavirus specifically binds to the milk mucin complex as well as to the 46-kD glycoprotein component ofthe complex. Binding to the 46-kD component was substantially reduced after chemical hydrolysis of sialic acid.We have documented that human milk mucin can bind to rotavirus and inhibit viral replication in vitro and in vivo. Variations in milk mucin glycoproteins may be associated with different levels of protection against infection with gastrointestinal pathogens. (J. Clin. Invest. 1992. 90:1984

Rotavirus specific maternal antibodies and immune response to RV3-BB neonatal rotavirus vaccine in New Zealand

“…30,31 However, there is clearly a complex relationship between maternal antibody titers at the time of immunisation and viral load that affects the neutralisation of live viral vaccines. It has been postulated that when there is an excess of maternal antibody, such as in rotavirus endemic settings, and/or low viral load, there may be inhibition of viral replication, and thus possibly of both B and T cell infant responses.…”

Production and Functional Properties of Dairy Products Containing Lactophorin and Lactadherin

“…The inhibitory activity against HRV infection of human lactadherin was first identified by Yolken et al (1992). Furthermore, a previous clinical study indicated a correlation between human lactadherin in breast milk and morbidity due to rotavirus gastroenteritis in young children (Newburg et al, 1998).…”

Milk Derived Peptides with Immune Stimulating Antiviral Properties

“…Human lactoferrin (apo-or Fe 3+ ), -lactalbumin, -lactoglobulin, human lactadherin, mucin, and immunoglobulin from milk could prevent rotavirus infection through the binding to structural viral protein VP4 [30,37,38,40,107,108]. Also, the antiviral activity of lactoferrin against adenovirus has been attributed to the interaction of the milk protein with viral capsid proteins [60,61,69].…”