Longitudinal changes of lactopontin (milk osteopontin) in term and preterm human milk

Jing Zhu; Xue Yu; Yiran Wang; Shasha Bai; Jianqiang Lai; Xiaomei Tong; Yan Xing

doi:10.3389/fnut.2022.962802

Longitudinal changes of lactopontin (milk osteopontin) in term and preterm human milk

Front Nutr. 2022 Jul 29:9:962802. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2022.962802. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Jing Zhu¹, Xue Yu², Yiran Wang¹, Shasha Bai¹, Jianqiang Lai³, Xiaomei Tong⁴, Yan Xing⁴

Affiliations

¹ Beijing Institute of Nutritional Resources, Beijing Academy of Science and Technology, Beijing, China.
² School of Public Health, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China.
³ National Institute for Nutrition and Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China.
⁴ Department of Pediatrics, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China.

Abstract

Background: Lactopontin (LPN) in breast milk, also known as milk osteopontin is thought to play a myriad of important roles in infants when they are immature. The purpose of the present study was to examine the longitudinal changes in LPN concentrations in term and preterm milk, and elucidate the links between maternal characteristics, LPN levels, and child growth in a birth cohort.

Methods: 131 mothers who delivered term, moderate-late preterm (MPT), very preterm (VPT), and extremely preterm (EPT) infants were included, milk samples were collected at 7, 14, 28, and 120 days postpartum. LPN concentration was determined by multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS).

Results: Our results indicated that LPN change over time of VPT (P = 0.024) and EPT (P = 0.003) were significantly different from term milk, although they all gradually decreased with lactation. In terms of LPN-related factors, maternal age was a significant contributor in late mature milk and pre-pregnancy BMI a significant contributor to colostrum and transitional milk. We further investigated relationships between LPN levels and infant weight and our results suggested that high levels of LPN in breast milk might be useful for the catch-up growth of infants.

Conclusion: LPN levels in breast milk are related to maternal factors, and differences in LPN levels may affect the growth of infants. As milk is a critical part in the mother-breastmilk-infant "triad," the association between maternal-infant factors and milk LPN levels warrants further study.

Keywords: breast milk; infant; lactopontin; osteopontin; preterm.