Non-nutritional use of human milk as a therapeutic agent in neonates: Brain, gut, and immunologic targets

Rebecca Hoban; Krystle M Perez; D Taylor Hendrixson; Gregory C Valentine; Katie M Strobel

doi:10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2024.106126

Non-nutritional use of human milk as a therapeutic agent in neonates: Brain, gut, and immunologic targets

Early Hum Dev. 2024 Nov:198:106126. doi: 10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2024.106126. Epub 2024 Sep 27.

Authors

Rebecca Hoban¹, Krystle M Perez², D Taylor Hendrixson², Gregory C Valentine³, Katie M Strobel²

Affiliations

¹ Seattle Children's Hospital, University of Washington Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, Seattle, WA, USA. Electronic address: [email protected].
² Seattle Children's Hospital, University of Washington Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, Seattle, WA, USA.
³ Seattle Children's Hospital, University of Washington Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, Seattle, WA, USA; Department of Oral Health Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA; Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.

PMID: 39348773
DOI: 10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2024.106126

Abstract

Human milk (HM) exposure improves short- and long-term outcomes for infants due to a complex milieu of bioactive, stem cell, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, and nutritive components. Given this remarkable biologic fluid, non-nutritional utilization of HM as a targeted therapeutic is being explored in pre-clinical and clinical studies. This article describes recent research pertinent to non-nutritional uses of HM for neurologic, gastrointestinal, and infectious pathologies in neonates, as well as future directions.

Keywords: Gastroschisis; Human milk; Intraventricular hemorrhage; Necrotizing enterocolitis; Neonatal; Oral immune therapy; Preterm infant; Stem cell.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Brain / metabolism
Brain-Gut Axis
Gastrointestinal Microbiome
Humans
Infant, Newborn
Milk, Human* / chemistry