Third Department of Pediatrics, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, University General Hospital "ATTIKON", Athens, Greece.
R&D laboratories, DIA.PRO Diagnostic Bioprobes Srl, Sesto San Giovanni, Italy.
J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med. 2022 Dec;35(25):6704-6707. doi: 10.1080/14767058.2021.1920010. Epub 2021 May 9.
BACKGROUND/AIM: Early human milk provides protection against viral infections due to its high nutritional value, abundance of maternal antibodies and the specific role of lactoferrin (Lf). Lf blocks the early interaction between SARS-CoV-2 and host cells by binding to specific cell receptors and has been proposed as a preventative and adjunct treatment for COVID-19. This preliminary report aimed to investigate concentrations of Lf in early milk of SARS-CoV-2 positive mothers versus non-infected controls.
In a cohort of 13 SARS-CoV-2 positive mothers and 15 controls, breast milk concentrations of Lf were determined by ELISA on day 3 postpartum. Additionally, colostrum samples of infected mothers were analyzed for SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection and anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgA and IgG determination using RT-qPCR and ELISA, respectively.
No differences were found in breast milk Lf concentrations between SARS-CoV-2 positive mothers and controls. In a subgroup analysis, however, symptomatic mothers ( = 7) presented with lower breast milk Lf concentrations, as compared to asymptomatic mothers ( = .041) and healthy controls ( = .029). All milk samples tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 RNA. Early human milk of infected mothers displayed IgA and IgG SARS-CoV-2 specific reactivity.
Our data showed a different early breast milk Lf "profile" between COVID-19 symptomatic and asymptomatic mothers with the latter being at non-COVID levels (control group). SARS-CoV-2 RNA was not detected in any breast milk sample. Early human milk Lf levels are potentially influenced by the severity of maternal COVID-19 infection during pregnancy.
背景/目的：初乳由于其高营养价值、丰富的母体抗体和乳铁蛋白（Lf）的特殊作用，为人体提供了抵抗病毒感染的保护。Lf 通过与特定的细胞受体结合来阻断 SARS-CoV-2 与宿主细胞的早期相互作用，并被提议作为 COVID-19 的预防和辅助治疗方法。本初步报告旨在研究 SARS-CoV-2 阳性母亲与未感染对照母亲的初乳中 Lf 浓度。
在一组 13 名 SARS-CoV-2 阳性母亲和 15 名对照者中，通过 ELISA 在产后第 3 天测定母乳中的 Lf 浓度。此外，还使用 RT-qPCR 和 ELISA 分别分析感染母亲的初乳样本，以检测 SARS-CoV-2 RNA 并确定抗 SARS-CoV-2 IgA 和 IgG。
SARS-CoV-2 阳性母亲和对照组之间的母乳 Lf 浓度无差异。然而，在亚组分析中，有症状的母亲（n = 7）的母乳 Lf 浓度较低，与无症状母亲（n = 0.041）和健康对照组（n = 0.029）相比。所有的奶样均未检测到 SARS-CoV-2 RNA。感染母亲的初乳显示出针对 SARS-CoV-2 的 IgA 和 IgG 特异性反应。
我们的数据显示 COVID-19 有症状和无症状母亲的初乳 Lf“特征”不同，后者处于非 COVID 水平（对照组）。未在任何母乳样本中检测到 SARS-CoV-2 RNA。初乳 Lf 水平可能受到妊娠期间母体 COVID-19 感染严重程度的影响。
