Polyamines in Human Milk and Their Benefits for Infant Health

Breastfeeding is the gold standard for infant nutrition in the first six months of life when feeding choices determine growth and development. However, human milk is a complex and highly variable fluid that, in addition to nutrients, contains several bioactive components, including polyamines (putrescine, spermidine, and spermine), and constitutes the first exogenous source of these compounds for infants. Active in various cellular processes, polyamines are involved in the growth and maturation of the gastrointestinal tract and the development of the immune system and therefore play an important role in the first year of life. This chapter reviews the impact of polyamines on infant growth and health, the polyamine content in human milk and how it is influenced by factors related to both the mother-child dyad and breastfeeding itself. In addition, a comparative analysis of human milk and infant formulas in terms of polyamine content and profile is presented

Poliaminas en alimentos, leche materna y fórmulas infantiles

[eng] The polyamines putrescine, spermidine, and spermine are a group of molecules that are ubiquitously distributed in all living organisms. Polyamines have several implications in human health, mainly in the early stages of life, since they participate in intestinal maturation and in the development of the immune system. Due to their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effect, polyamines play an important role in the prevention of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, obesity and diabetes, and are also associated with a longer life expectancy. In addition to endogenous synthesis, food is the main exogenous source of polyamines in humans. Although there are still no recommendations for the intake of polyamines, it is known that, in stages of rapid cell growth, such as the neonatal or infant stage, as well as during wound healing processes, the requirements of polyamines increase. During aging the endogenous synthesis of polyamines decreases, so that dietary polyamines acquire greater relevance. Therefore, one of the objectives of this doctoral thesis was to study the qualitative and quantitative composition of polyamines in different foods and also to evaluate the effect of different culinary treatments on the polyamine content of some foods rich in these components, with the aim of in the future to be able to propose recommendations for the enrichment of the diet with these compounds. Human milk is the first exogenous source of polyamines in humans, since these compounds are synthesized in the mammary gland during pregnancy and lactation. In this sense, it has been suggested that the presence of polyamines in human milk may be influenced by several factors related to the mother-child dyad (i.e., genetic, origin, dietary intake and nutritional status of the mother's and/or type of delivery), as well as with the breastfeeding process itself (i.e., month, time of day, chosen breast and/or presence of infection). In this context, another objective of this thesis was to study the content, profile and evolution of polyamines in human milk throughout breastfeeding, as well as the influence of different factors associated with breastfeeding on their contents in human milk. On the other hand, when breastfeeding is not possible, infant formulas are the appropriate food products to replace human milk partially or totally. Therefore, in another part of this thesis, the content and profile of polyamines of different infant formulas available in the market were also evaluated, and they were compared with human milk.[spa] Las poliaminas putrescina, espermidina y espermina son un grupo de moléculas que se distribuyen de forma ubicua en todos los organismos vivos. Las poliaminas tienen diversas implicaciones la salud humana, principalmente en las primeras etapas de la vida, ya que participan en la maduración intestinal y en el desarrollo del sistema inmune. Debido a su efecto antioxidante y antiinflamatorio, las poliaminas juegan un papel importante en la prevención de enfermedades crónicas como en patologías cardiovasculares, obesidad y diabetes, y también se asocian con una mayor esperanza de vida. Además de la síntesis endógena, los alimentos son la principal fuente exógena de poliaminas en el ser humano. A pesar de que todavía no existen recomendaciones de ingesta de poliaminas, se sabe que, en etapas de rápido crecimiento celular, como la etapa neonatal o lactante, así como durante procesos de cicatrización de heridas, los requerimientos de poliaminas aumentan. Durante el envejecimiento la síntesis endógena de poliaminas disminuye, por lo que las poliaminas dietéticas adquieren una mayor relevancia. Por lo que uno de los objetivos de esta tesis doctoral fue estudiar la composición cuanti y cualitativa de poliaminas en diferentes alimentos y evaluar el efecto de diferentes tratamientos culinarios en el contenido de poliaminas de algunos alimentos ricos en estos componentes, con la finalidad de en el futuro poder plantear recomendaciones de enriquecimiento de la dieta con estos compuestos. La leche materna es la primera fuente exógena de poliaminas en el ser humano, ya que estos compuestos se sintetizan en la glándula mamaria durante el embarazo y la lactancia. En este sentido, se ha sugerido que la presencia de poliaminas en la leche materna puede estar influenciada por diversos factores relacionados con la díada madre-hijo (origen genético, ingesta dietética y/o el estado nutricional de la madre, tipo de parto), así como con el propio proceso de lactancia (mes, la hora del día, el seno elegido y/o la presencia de infección). En este contexto, otro objetivo de esta tesis fue estudiar el contenido, perfil y evolución de las poliaminas en leche materna a lo largo de la lactancia, así como la influencia de diferentes factores asociados a la lactancia en los contenidos de estos compuestos en la leche materna. Por otro lado, cuando la lactancia materna no es posible, las fórmulas infantiles son los productos alimenticios adecuados para reemplazar, de forma parcial o total, a la leche materna. Por lo que en otra parte de esta tesis también se evaluó el contenido y perfil de poliaminas de diferentes fórmulas infantiles disponibles en el mercado, y se compararon con la leche materna. Por otra parte, teniendo en cuenta la relevancia de las poliaminas en los procesos de crecimiento celular, así como su posible participación en la regulación de la adipogénesis, en el marco de esta tesis también se estudió la existencia de alguna asociación entre el contenido de poliaminas de la leche materna y la composición corporal de la madre y del lactante. Además, debido a la relación entre ciertas hormonas reguladoras del apetito y los indicadores antropométricos de crecimiento y composición corporal del lactante, también se exploró la posible asociación entre los niveles de leptina y grelina y los de poliaminas en leche materna

Differences in Polyamine Content between Human Milk and Infant Formulas

Human milk is the gold standard for nutrition during the first months of life, but when breastfeeding is not possible, it may be replaced by infant formulas, either partially or totally. Polyamines, which play an important role in intestinal maturation and the development of the immune system, are found both in human milk and infant formulas, the first exogenous source of these compounds for the newborn. The aim of this study was to evaluate the occurrence and evolution of polyamines in human milk during the first semester of lactation and to compare the polyamine content with that of infant formulas. In total, 30 samples of human milk provided by six mothers during the first five months of lactation as well as 15 different types of infant formulas were analyzed using UHPLC-FL. Polyamines were detected in all human milk samples but with great variation among mothers. Spermidine and spermine levels tended to decrease during the lactation period, while putrescine remained practically unchanged. Considerable differences were observed in the polyamine contents and profiles between human milk and infant formulas, with concentrations being up to 30 times lower in the latter. The predominant polyamines in human milk were spermidine and spermine, and putrescine in infant formulas