Sun Hanxiao, Wu Ting, Mao Yingyi, Tian Fang, Cai Xiaokun, Kuchan Matthew J, Zhang Lishi, Zhao Yanrong, Chen Jinyao
Department of Clinical Nutrition, Chengdu Fifth People's Hospital, Chengdu611130, People's Republic of China.
Department of Nutrition, Chengdu Women's and Children's Central Hospital, Chengdu610073, People's Republic of China.
Br J Nutr. 2021 Nov 14;126(9):1281-1287. doi: 10.1017/S0007114521000027. Epub 2021 Jan 8.
Carotenoids are increasingly being implicated to have an important role in brain and eye development. This study aimed to quantify the content and profile of carotenoids in human breast milk, maternal plasma and neonatal umbilical cord plasma in Chengdu, an urban area in Southwest China. In this study, fifty-four healthy mothers were enrolled. Maternal blood, umbilical cord blood, colostrum, transitional milk and mature milk were collected. Concentrations of carotenoids (lutein, zeaxanthin, β-cryptoxanthin, β-carotene and lycopene) were analysed by HPLC. We found that carotenoid concentrations decreased from colostrum to mature milk. Hydrocarbon carotenoids with weaker polarity decreased more than the polar carotenoids. Lycopene concentrations dropped by 99 %, β-carotene by 92 %, β-cryptoxanthin by 83 %, lutein by 32 % and zeaxanthin by 22 %. Lycopene and β-carotene accounted for 70 % of the total carotenoids in colostrum, and lutein predominated amongst carotenoids in transitional milk and mature milk (51-55 %). Carotenoid concentrations in maternal plasma were much higher than that in cord plasma. Lutein predominated in cord plasma. The concentrations of all carotenoids in maternal plasma were correlated with those of cord plasma and human milk. These results are consistent with selective transport mechanisms in the mammary gland related to the polarity of carotenoids, and each carotenoid has its own implications, which may have different priorities in the early life development of infants. These findings may help guide dietary recommendations for carotenoid inclusion in infant formulas.
类胡萝卜素在大脑和眼睛发育中的重要作用日益受到关注。本研究旨在量化中国西南部城市成都地区母乳、母体血浆和新生儿脐带血血浆中类胡萝卜素的含量和分布。本研究招募了54名健康母亲。收集了母体血液、脐带血、初乳、过渡乳和成熟乳。采用高效液相色谱法分析类胡萝卜素（叶黄素、玉米黄质、β-隐黄质、β-胡萝卜素和番茄红素）的浓度。我们发现，类胡萝卜素浓度从初乳到成熟乳逐渐降低。极性较弱的烃类类胡萝卜素的下降幅度大于极性类胡萝卜素。番茄红素浓度下降了99%，β-胡萝卜素下降了92%，β-隐黄质下降了83%，叶黄素下降了32%，玉米黄质下降了22%。番茄红素和β-胡萝卜素占初乳中总类胡萝卜素的70%，而在过渡乳和成熟乳中，叶黄素是主要的类胡萝卜素（51%-55%）。母体血浆中的类胡萝卜素浓度远高于脐带血血浆中的浓度。脐带血血浆中以叶黄素为主。母体血浆中所有类胡萝卜素的浓度与脐带血血浆和母乳中的浓度相关。这些结果与乳腺中与类胡萝卜素极性相关的选择性转运机制一致，每种类胡萝卜素都有其自身的意义，这可能在婴儿早期发育中具有不同的优先级。这些发现可能有助于指导婴儿配方奶粉中类胡萝卜素添加的饮食建议。
