Osthoff Gernot, Wiese Irenie, Deacon Francois
Department of Microbiology and Biochemistry, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein 9301, South Africa.
Department of Animal, Wildlife and Grassland Sciences, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein 9301, South Africa.
Animals (Basel). 2023 Feb 3;13(3):544. doi: 10.3390/ani13030544.
Elephant milk composition is unique, as are its changes over lactation. Presented here is the milk non-dedicated metabolite composition of three African elephants. Their lactation times are overlapping and span day one to thirty months. Metabolites were identified and quantified by H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Lactose and short oligosaccharides are a large component of the metabolites, with lacto-N-difucohexaose I as the major oligosaccharide. These were followed by metabolites of lipids, amino acids, and the citric acid cycle. The content of lactose, lacto-N-difucohexaose I, 2'-fucosyllactose, and some unidentified oligosaccharides decrease over lactation, while that of difucosyllactose and other unidentified ones increase. The high content of glutamate, as a glucogenic amino acid, supported the uprated synthesis of saccharides by the milk gland cells. The content of succinate and choline increase over lactation, indicating higher energy expenditure and phospholipid synthesis during later lactation.
大象乳汁的成分独特，其在哺乳期的变化也是如此。本文展示了三头非洲象乳汁中的非专用代谢物成分。它们的哺乳期相互重叠，从第1天持续到30个月。代谢物通过氢核磁共振光谱进行鉴定和定量。乳糖和短链寡糖是代谢物的主要成分，其中乳糖-N-二岩藻糖己糖I是主要的寡糖。其次是脂质、氨基酸和柠檬酸循环的代谢物。乳糖、乳糖-N-二岩藻糖己糖I、2'-岩藻糖基乳糖和一些未鉴定的寡糖的含量在哺乳期会降低，而二岩藻糖基乳糖和其他未鉴定的寡糖的含量则会增加。作为生糖氨基酸的谷氨酸含量较高，支持乳腺细胞提高糖类合成。琥珀酸盐和胆碱的含量在哺乳期会增加，表明在哺乳期后期能量消耗和磷脂合成更高。
