Danone Nutricia Research, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands.
PLoS One. 2023 Aug 2;18(8):e0282816. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0282816. eCollection 2023.
Human milk beneficially affects infant growth and brain development. The supramolecular structure of lipid globules in human milk i.e., large lipid globules covered by the milk fat globule membrane, is believed to contribute to this effect, in addition to the supply of functional ingredients. Three preclinical (mouse) experiments were performed to study the effects of infant formula mimicking the supramolecular structure of human milk lipid globules on brain and metabolic health outcomes. From postnatal day 16 to 42, mouse offspring were exposed to a diet containing infant formula with large, phospholipid-coated lipid droplets (structure, STR) or infant formula with the same ingredients but lacking the unique structural properties as observed in human milk (ingredient, ING). Subsequently, in Study 1, the fatty acid composition in liver and brain membranes was measured, and expression of hippocampal molecular markers were analyzed. In Study 2 and 3 adult (Western-style diet-induced) body fat accumulation and cognitive function were evaluated. Animals exposed to STR compared to ING showed improved omega-3 fatty acid accumulation in liver and brain, and higher expression of brain myelin-associated glycoprotein. Early exposure to STR reduced fat mass accumulation in adulthood; the effect was more pronounced in animals exposed to a Western-style diet. Additionally, mice exposed to STR demonstrated better memory performance later in life. In conclusion, early life exposure to infant formula containing large, phospholipid-coated lipid droplets, that are closer to the supramolecular structure of lipid globules in human milk, positively affects adult brain and metabolic health outcomes in pre-clinical animal models.
人乳有益于婴儿的生长和大脑发育。人乳中脂质球的超分子结构，即被乳脂肪球膜覆盖的大脂质球，被认为除了提供功能性成分外，还对这种作用有贡献。进行了三项模拟人乳脂质球超分子结构的婴儿配方的临床前（小鼠）实验，以研究其对大脑和代谢健康结果的影响。从出生后第 16 天到 42 天，将小鼠后代暴露于含有大的、磷脂包被的脂肪滴的婴儿配方（结构，STR）或具有相同成分但缺乏人乳中观察到的独特结构特性的婴儿配方（成分，ING）的饮食中。随后，在研究 1 中，测量了肝和脑细胞膜中的脂肪酸组成，并分析了海马分子标志物的表达。在研究 2 和 3 中，评估了成年（西式饮食诱导）体脂积累和认知功能。与 ING 相比，暴露于 STR 的动物显示出肝脏和大脑中 ω-3 脂肪酸积累的改善，以及脑髓鞘相关糖蛋白表达的增加。早期暴露于 STR 可减少成年后脂肪质量的积累；在暴露于西式饮食的动物中，这种效果更为明显。此外，暴露于 STR 的小鼠在以后的生活中表现出更好的记忆表现。总之，在临床前动物模型中，早期生命接触含有大的、磷脂包被的脂肪滴的婴儿配方，更接近人乳中脂质球的超分子结构，可对成年期大脑和代谢健康结果产生积极影响。
