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Breastfeeding offers an array of benefits for mothers and newborns. Maternal antibodies are transferred through breastfeeding, protecting the gastrointestinal tract of babies from several infections caused by pathogens. Yet the molecular mechanism by which maternal antibodies, particularly immunoglobulin A (IgA), are produced in mothers during breastfeeding still puzzles scientists.
Today, a research group led by Tomonori Nochi of the Graduate School of Agricultural Science at Tohoku University discovered that an interorganic network between the mammary glands and the small intestine plays a critical role in the transfer of maternal antibodies through breastfeeding.
Details of their research have been published in the journal Cell reportsSeptember 7, 2021.
Nochi says the research was linked to the need to develop an immune strategy that improves the quality and quantity of maternal IgA in milk. “We still lack a complete picture regarding antibody production in nursing mothers, and this has hampered the discovery of immunological and microbiological approaches to improve the quality of breastfeeding.”
In the past, scientists have struggled to fully understand antibody production in nursing mothers. This has hampered the discovery of immunological and microbiological approaches to improve the quality of breastfeeding. “
The team’s research revealed the key role that Peyer’s patches (PPs) – immune sensors found in the gastrointestinal tract – play in the production of maternal IgA.
They also identified two types of crucial bacteria; Bacteroides acidifaciensandPrevotella buccalis, which coexist in the gastrointestinal tract of mothers, generate immune responses in PPs through antigen-harvesting M cells, resulting in migration of IgA-producing plasma cells to the mammary glands.
“Our results provide important information on the development of probiotics that facilitate the transfer of sufficient amounts of maternal antibodies from mother to newborns via breastfeeding,” added Nochi.
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