Bio-molecules in human breast milk stop inflammation
Human breast milk, which provides essential nutrients and antibodies to newborns, has long been known to play an important role in infant development and the immune system. In a new study published in Mucosal Immunology, researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) report that human breast milk serves as a reservoir for bio-molecules that help to resolve inflammation and combat infection.
"Finding a reservoir of these inflammation-resolving molecules at bioactive levels was a big surprise for us," said co-corresponding author Charles Serhan, PhD, DSc, director of BWH's Center for Experimental Therapeutics and Reperfusion Injury. "We've identified some of these molecular signals in other organs and tissue in the human body, but this is the first time we've seen them all in one place."
H Arnardottir, S K Orr, J Dalli and C N Serhan. Human milk proresolving mediators stimulate resolution of acute inflammation. Mucosal Immunology, October 2015 DOI: 10.1038/mi.2015.99