Human Breast Milk: Exploring the Linking Ring Among Emerging Components

Maternal breast milk (BM) is a complex and unique fluid that evolution adapted to satisfy neonatal needs; in addition to classical nutrients, it contains several bioactive components. BM characteristically shows inter-individual variability, modifying its composition during different phases of lactation. BM composition, determining important consequences on neonatal gut colonization, influences both short and long-term development. Maternal milk can also shape neonatal microbiota, through its glycobiome rich in Lactobacilli spp. and Bifidobacteria spp. Therefore, neonatal nourishment during the first months of life seems the most important determinant of individual's outcomes. Our manuscript aims to provide new evidence in the characterization of BM metabolome and microbiome, and its comparison to formula milk, allowing the evaluation of each nutrient's influence on neonatal metabolism. This result very interesting since potentially offers an innovative approach to investigate the complex relationship between BM components and infant's health, also providing the chance to intervene in a sartorial way on diet composition, according to the nutritional requests. Future research, integrating metabolomics, microbiomics and stem cells knowledge, could make significant steps forward in understanding BM extraordinary properties and functions

The choice of amniotic fluid in metabolomics for the monitoring of fetus health - update

Introduction: In recent years, several studies have highlighted the promising role of metabolomics in the analysis of amniotic fluid (AF), to describe and characterize the interactions occurring between the mother and the fetus during prenatal development. Among the available biological fluids, AF represents an ideal substrate to provide dynamic information regarding fetal organogenesis and metabolism through pregnancy, since it originates from both maternal and fetal tissues and contains substances derived from placenta, fetal skin, lungs, gastric fluid, and fetal urine. Areas covered: In this paper, we provide an update reporting the most recent results on AF metabolomics in the assessment of feto-maternal health, regarding physiological pregnancies but even fields such as prematurity, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, fetal malformations, chromosomopathies, maternal diseases, placental inflammation or infections, maternal diet or exposure to exogenous substances, according to the literature found on MEDLINE since 2015. Expert opinion: Metabolomics shows a promising role in describing both physiology and disease; the goal would be the identification of biomarkers able to precociously and efficaciously detect pathological conditions, allowing the identification of complicated pregnancy and improving their management. However, this field is under development and its reliability still needs to be clarified, especially through more numerous and accurate studies

Metabolomics, Microbiomics, Machine learning during the COVID-19 pandemic

COVID-19 pandemic has a significant impact worldwide, from the point of view of public health, social, and economic aspects. The correct strategies of diagnosis and global management are still under debate. In the next future, we firmly believe that combining the so-called 3 M's (metabolomics, microbiomics, and machine learning [artificial intelligence]) will be the optimal, accurate tool for the early diagnosis of COVID-19 subjects, risk assessment and stratification, patient management, and decision-making. If the currently available preliminary data obtain further confirms, through future studies on larger samples, simple biomarkers will provide predictive models for data analysis and interpretation, allowing a step toward personalized holistic medicine

Breast milk and covid‐19: From conventional data to “omics” technologies to investigate changes occurring in sars‐cov‐2 positive mothers

In this context of COVID‐19 pandemic, great interest has been aroused by the potential maternal transmission of SARS‐CoV‐2 by transplacental route, during delivery, and, subsequently, through breastfeeding. Some open questions still remain, especially regarding the possibility of finding viable SARS‐CoV‐2 in breast milk (BM), although this is not considered a worrying route of transmission. However, in BM, it was pointed out the presence of antibodies against SARS‐CoV‐2 and other bioactive components that could protect the infant from infection. The aim of our narrative review is to report and discuss the available literature on the detection of anti‐SARS‐CoV‐ 2 antibodies in BM of COVID‐19 positive mothers, and we discussed the unique existing study investigating BM of SARS‐CoV‐2 positive mothers through metabolomics, and the evidence regarding microbiomics BM variation in COVID‐19. Moreover, we tried to correlate metabolomics and microbiomics findings in BM of positive mothers with potential effects on breastfed infants metabolism and health. To our knowledge, this is the first review summarizing the current knowledge on SARS‐CoV‐2 effects on BM, resuming both “conventional data” (antibodies) and “omics technologies” (metabolomics and microbiomics)

Regenerating the womb: The good, bad and ugly potential of the endometrial stem cells

The human endometrium is a very dynamic tissue undergoing an extraordinary growth during pregnancy and, in a cyclic manner, during the reproductive life of each woman. Endometrial stem cells (ESCs), undifferentiated auto-renewable cells able to generate daughter cells showing a higher level of differentiation, play a fundamental role in endometrial regeneration and repair. Therefore, they have a great therapeutic potential in many diseases and research fields. However, recent data suggest that an irregular function of ESCs can contribute to the pathogenesis of endometriosis and other disorders. In addition, ESCs have also been found in human leiomyomas and malignant tumours, and could be involved in their development. In this review we analyze the enormous regenerative potential of endometrium, which is, unfortunately, not exempted from its negative effects. This coexists with the good one as two faces of the same coin and constitutes the risk behind the fundamental protective and regenerative mechanisms to defend reproduction, and therefore the miracle of life itself

Human Breast Milk: Bioactive Components, from Stem Cells to Health Outcomes

Purpose of Review: Breast milk (BM) is a peculiar fluid owing unique properties and resulting the ideal food during early neonatal period. As widely known, it can improve the outcome of both neonate and lactating mother, influencing their whole life. BM is characterized by several beneficial components; among these, a great role is played by BM own and specific microbiome, deeply investigated in many studies. Moreover, the use of metabolomics in BM analysis allowed a better characterization of its metabolic pathways that vary according to lactation stage and neonatal gestational age. The aim of this review is to describe growth factors, cytokines, immunity mediators, and stem cells (SCs) contained in BM and investigate their functions and effects on neonatal outcome, especially focusing on immuno- and neurodevelopment. Recent Findings: We evaluated recent and updated literature on this field. The article that we analyzed to write this review have been found in MEDLINE using breast milk-derived stem cells, biofactors, growth factors, breastfeeding-related outcomes, neurodevelopment, and neonatal immunological system as keywords. Discovering and characterizing BM components could result very useful to clarify the pathophysiology of their influence on neonatal growth and even to improve artificial formulations’ composition. Moreover, since SCs abilities and their involvement in the development of several diseases, they could help to discover specific targets for new therapies. Summary: It could be useful to characterize BM-derived SC markers, properties, and variations during lactation stages, to understand their potential role in therapeutic applications, since they could be noninvasively isolated from BM. More studies will help to describe more in detail the characteristics of mother-to-child communication through breastfeeding and its potential role in the next future

Bardanzellu F, Puddu M, Peroni DG, Fanos V. The Human Breast Milk Metabolome in Overweight and Obese Mothers. Front Immunol. 2020 Jul 21;11:1533. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.01533. PMID: 32793208; PMCID: PMC7385070.

Abstract Pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) is a major relevance factor, since maternal overweight and obesity can impair the pregnancy outcome and represent risk factors for several neonatal, childhood, and adult conditions, including excessive weight gain, cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, and even behavioral disorders. Currently, breast milk (BM) composition in such category of mothers was not completely defined. In this field, metabolomics represents the ideal technology, able to detect the whole profile of low molecular weight molecules in BM. Limited information is available on human BM metabolites differences in overweight or obese compared to lean mothers. Analyzing all the metabolomics studies published on Medline in English language, this review evaluated the effects that 8 specific types of metabolites found altered by maternal overweight and obesity (nucleotide derivatives, 5-methylthioadenosine, sugar-alcohols, acylcarnitine and amino acids, polyamines, mono-and oligosaccharides, lipids) can exert on the risk of offspring obesity development and other potentially associated health outcomes and complications. However, metabolites variations in samples collected from overweight and obese mothers and the potentially correlated effects highlighted below still need further investigations and should be confirmed in future metabolomics studies on larger samples. Finally, the positive or negative influence of maternal overweight and obesity on the offspring, potentially exerted by breastfeeding, should be analyzed in close correlation with maternal age, genetic and environmental factors, including diet, and taking into account the interactions occurring between BM metabolites and lactobiome. The evaluation of all the factors affecting BM metabolites in overweight and obese mothers can lead to the comprehensive description of such biofluid and the related effects on breastfed subjects, potentially highlighting personalized needs of BM supplementation or short- and long-term prevention strategies to optimize offspring health

Copper polymer electrolytes

Multivalent salt polymer complexes offer important prospects of the investigation and understanding of the fundamental properties of polymer electrolytes. In this work we present some recent results obtained by complex impedance, cyclic voltammetry and electron spin resonance on a series of polymer electrolyte systems based on the combination of poly(ethyleneoxide) PEO and copper salts of the Cu(CF3SO3)2 type. The data appear to confirm that copper ions contribute to the overall transport in these complexes. However, the mechanism of conductivity may also include a mixed ionic-electronic effect

Clinical insights gained through metabolomic analysis of human breast milk

Introduction: Among the OMICS technologies, that have emerged in recent years, metabolomics has allowed relevant step forwards in clinical research. Several improvements in disease diagnosis and clinical management have been permitted, even in neonatology. Among potentially evaluable biofluids, breast milk (BM) results are highly interesting, representing a fluid of conjunction between mothers newborns, describing their interaction. Areas covered: in this review, updating a previous review article, we discuss research articles and reviews on BM metabolomics and found in MEDLINE using metabolomics, breast milk, neonatal nutrition, breastfeeding, human milk composition, and preterm neonates as keywords. Expert opinion: Our research group has a profound interest in metabolomics research. In 2012, we published the first metabolomic analysis on BM samples, reporting interesting data on its composition and relevant differences with formula milk (FM), useful to improve FM composition. As confirmed by successive studies, such technology can detect the specific BM composition and its dependence on several variables, including lactation stage, gestational age, maternal or environmental conditions. Moreover, since BM contaminants or drug levels can be detected, metabolomics also results useful to determine BM safety. These are only a few practical applications of BM analysis, which will be reviewed in this paper