Soybean Isoflavones Ameliorates Lactation Performance in Postpartum Mice by Alleviating Oxidative Stress and Regulating Gut Microflora

Abstract

Postpartum dysgalactiae syndrome (PPDS) is one of the key issues affecting breastfeeding, usually occurring as breast swelling, a low milk yield, and at length a stop of breast milk secretion. Therefore, there is a need to investigate the effectiveness of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) diet therapy in treating or preventing PPDS. This study aims to analyze the effect of soybean isoflavone (SIF), a natural estrogen found in plants, on postpartum lactation performance in mice and to evaluate its potential as a treatment for PPDS. Adult female BALB/c mice at 8 weeks of age (25 ± 3 g) are randomly divided into four groups fed with different levels of SIF and a normal diet for 14 days. SIF (0, 50, 100, 200 mg kg‐1 BW) is provided via intra‐gastric route to the experimental mice. Using a high‐throughput sequencing of microbial diversity and mammary gland metabolites, it is found that SIF‐treated mice potentially show an improved milk performance via enhanced antioxidant capacity and altered gut microbiota. SIF from plant sources at a high dosage promotes the lactation in normal postpartum mice.