Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA.
J Pediatr. 2010 Feb;156(2 Suppl):S41-6. doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2009.11.020.
Adiponectin is a protein hormone produced by adipose tissue, whose circulating levels are inversely related to adiposity and inflammation. Adiponectin circulates as oligomers, from the low-molecular-weight trimer to the high-molecular-weight octodecamer (18 mer). Each oligomer has distinct biological activities, which include enhancement of insulin sensitivity and metabolic control and suppression of inflammation. Adiponectin occurs in human milk at higher concentrations than leptin. The adiponectin in human milk is almost entirely of the high-molecular-weight form, the form with the highest activity in controlling many types of metabolic processes. Human adiponectin fed to infant mice is transported across the intestinal mucosa into the serum. An inverse relationship between adiponectin levels in milk and adiposity (weight-for-height) of the breast-fed infant was observed and could be due to modulation of infant metabolism by milk adiponectin and may be related to the observed protection against obesity by breast-feeding. Human milk may be a medium whereby the hormonal milieu (in response to internal factors and the environment) of the mother can be used to communicate with the breast-fed infant to modify infant metabolic processes. Transmission of information from mother to infant through milk may allow adaptation to fluctuating environmental conditions.
脂联素是一种由脂肪组织产生的蛋白激素，其循环水平与肥胖和炎症呈负相关。脂联素以低分子量三聚体到高分子量十八聚体（18 -mer）的形式循环存在。每种寡聚体都具有独特的生物学活性，包括增强胰岛素敏感性和代谢控制以及抑制炎症。脂联素在人乳中的浓度高于瘦素。人乳中的脂联素几乎全部为高分子量形式，这种形式在控制多种代谢过程方面活性最高。给婴儿小鼠喂食人脂联素后，它会穿过肠黏膜进入血清。观察到乳中脂联素水平与母乳喂养婴儿的肥胖（身高体重比）呈负相关，这可能是由于乳脂联素调节婴儿代谢，并且可能与母乳喂养观察到的肥胖预防有关。人乳可能是一种媒介，通过这种媒介，母亲的激素环境（对内因和环境的反应）可以与母乳喂养的婴儿进行交流，从而改变婴儿的代谢过程。通过乳汁从母亲向婴儿传递信息可能允许适应不断变化的环境条件。
