Immunological composition of human milk before and during subclinical and clinical mastitis

Mastitis, an inflammatory condition affecting more than 25% of breastfeeding women, is usually associated with reduced milk secretion, pain, and discomfort, which often leads to early cessation of breastfeeding. Although the etiology of mastitis is multifactorial, a pro-inflammatory state of the mam...

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Main Authors: Irma Castro-Navarro, Ryan M. Pace, Janet E. Williams, Christina D. W. Pace, Harpreet Kaur, Julia Piaskowski, Alberto Aragón, Juan M. Rodríguez, Mark A. McGuire, Leonides Fernandez, Michelle K. McGuire
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-01-01
Series:Frontiers in Immunology
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Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2024.1532432/full
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author Irma Castro-Navarro
Ryan M. Pace
Ryan M. Pace
Ryan M. Pace
Janet E. Williams
Christina D. W. Pace
Harpreet Kaur
Julia Piaskowski
Alberto Aragón
Alberto Aragón
Juan M. Rodríguez
Juan M. Rodríguez
Mark A. McGuire
Leonides Fernandez
Leonides Fernandez
Michelle K. McGuire
author_facet Irma Castro-Navarro
Ryan M. Pace
Ryan M. Pace
Ryan M. Pace
Janet E. Williams
Christina D. W. Pace
Harpreet Kaur
Julia Piaskowski
Alberto Aragón
Alberto Aragón
Juan M. Rodríguez
Juan M. Rodríguez
Mark A. McGuire
Leonides Fernandez
Leonides Fernandez
Michelle K. McGuire
author_sort Irma Castro-Navarro
collection DOAJ
description Mastitis, an inflammatory condition affecting more than 25% of breastfeeding women, is usually associated with reduced milk secretion, pain, and discomfort, which often leads to early cessation of breastfeeding. Although the etiology of mastitis is multifactorial, a pro-inflammatory state of the mammary gland might be a risk factor. However, changes in milk composition, and specifically in the milk immune profile, prior to and during mastitis have not been well described. To help close this research gap, we documented the immune profiles of milk produced by both breasts of 10 women experiencing clinical (CM) and 8 women experiencing subclinical (SCM) mastitis during the week of sign/symptom development as well as the week prior and compared them with milk produced by 14 healthy controls. CM was defined as having signs/symptoms of mastitis, whereas SCM was presumed if the participant did not have signs/symptoms of CM, but her milk had a somatic cell count >400,000 cell/mL and/or sodium-to-potassium (Na/K) ratio >1.0. Concentration of 36 immune factors (including immunoglobulins, cytokines, chemokines, and growth factors) was quantified via immunoassays. Milk produced by women who developed CM had distinct immune profiles the week prior to diagnosis, particularly elevated concentrations of pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-1β and regulatory cytokines IL-2, IL-4 and IL-10. In contrast, immune profiles in milk produced by women with SCM did not differ from that produced by healthy women or those with CM the week prior to mastitis onset. Once mastitis appeared, marked changes in milk’s immune profile were observed in both CM and SCM groups. CM was characterized by elevated concentrations of 27 compounds, including pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-1ra, and TNFα) and chemokines (including IL-8, eotaxin, IP-10, MCP-1, MIP1α, and MIP1β), compared to healthy controls. Milk’s immune profile during SCM was intermediate, showing higher levels of IL-6, IFNγ, and MCP-1 compared to healthy controls, suggesting a milder, more controlled immune response compared to CM. Only milk produced by the mastitis-affected breast had altered immune profiles. Further research is needed to determine if these differences in milk’s immune profiles can be used to improve mastitis risk prediction prior to onset of symptoms.
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spelling doaj-art-0c3fa322bfd84194b64845bb08ebe1bf2025-01-17T06:51:07ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Immunology1664-32242025-01-011510.3389/fimmu.2024.15324321532432Immunological composition of human milk before and during subclinical and clinical mastitisIrma Castro-Navarro0Ryan M. Pace1Ryan M. Pace2Ryan M. Pace3Janet E. Williams4Christina D. W. Pace5Harpreet Kaur6Julia Piaskowski7Alberto Aragón8Alberto Aragón9Juan M. Rodríguez10Juan M. Rodríguez11Mark A. McGuire12Leonides Fernandez13Leonides Fernandez14Michelle K. McGuire15Margaret Ritchie School of Family and Consumer Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, United StatesMargaret Ritchie School of Family and Consumer Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, United StatesCollege of Nursing, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, United StatesMicrobiomes Institute, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, United StatesDepartment of Animal, Veterinary and Food Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, United StatesMargaret Ritchie School of Family and Consumer Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, United StatesStatistical Programs, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, United StatesStatistical Programs, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, United StatesDepartment of Galenic Pharmacy and Food Technology, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, SpainInstituto Pluridisciplinar, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, SpainInstituto Pluridisciplinar, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, SpainDepartment of Nutrition and Food Science, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, SpainDepartment of Animal, Veterinary and Food Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, United StatesDepartment of Galenic Pharmacy and Food Technology, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, SpainInstituto Pluridisciplinar, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, SpainMargaret Ritchie School of Family and Consumer Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, United StatesMastitis, an inflammatory condition affecting more than 25% of breastfeeding women, is usually associated with reduced milk secretion, pain, and discomfort, which often leads to early cessation of breastfeeding. Although the etiology of mastitis is multifactorial, a pro-inflammatory state of the mammary gland might be a risk factor. However, changes in milk composition, and specifically in the milk immune profile, prior to and during mastitis have not been well described. To help close this research gap, we documented the immune profiles of milk produced by both breasts of 10 women experiencing clinical (CM) and 8 women experiencing subclinical (SCM) mastitis during the week of sign/symptom development as well as the week prior and compared them with milk produced by 14 healthy controls. CM was defined as having signs/symptoms of mastitis, whereas SCM was presumed if the participant did not have signs/symptoms of CM, but her milk had a somatic cell count >400,000 cell/mL and/or sodium-to-potassium (Na/K) ratio >1.0. Concentration of 36 immune factors (including immunoglobulins, cytokines, chemokines, and growth factors) was quantified via immunoassays. Milk produced by women who developed CM had distinct immune profiles the week prior to diagnosis, particularly elevated concentrations of pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-1β and regulatory cytokines IL-2, IL-4 and IL-10. In contrast, immune profiles in milk produced by women with SCM did not differ from that produced by healthy women or those with CM the week prior to mastitis onset. Once mastitis appeared, marked changes in milk’s immune profile were observed in both CM and SCM groups. CM was characterized by elevated concentrations of 27 compounds, including pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-1ra, and TNFα) and chemokines (including IL-8, eotaxin, IP-10, MCP-1, MIP1α, and MIP1β), compared to healthy controls. Milk’s immune profile during SCM was intermediate, showing higher levels of IL-6, IFNγ, and MCP-1 compared to healthy controls, suggesting a milder, more controlled immune response compared to CM. Only milk produced by the mastitis-affected breast had altered immune profiles. Further research is needed to determine if these differences in milk’s immune profiles can be used to improve mastitis risk prediction prior to onset of symptoms.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2024.1532432/fullhuman milkmastitislactationbreastfeedingimmunoglobulinschemokines
spellingShingle Irma Castro-Navarro
Ryan M. Pace
Ryan M. Pace
Ryan M. Pace
Janet E. Williams
Christina D. W. Pace
Harpreet Kaur
Julia Piaskowski
Alberto Aragón
Alberto Aragón
Juan M. Rodríguez
Juan M. Rodríguez
Mark A. McGuire
Leonides Fernandez
Leonides Fernandez
Michelle K. McGuire
Immunological composition of human milk before and during subclinical and clinical mastitis
Frontiers in Immunology
human milk
mastitis
lactation
breastfeeding
immunoglobulins
chemokines
title Immunological composition of human milk before and during subclinical and clinical mastitis
title_full Immunological composition of human milk before and during subclinical and clinical mastitis
title_fullStr Immunological composition of human milk before and during subclinical and clinical mastitis
title_full_unstemmed Immunological composition of human milk before and during subclinical and clinical mastitis
title_short Immunological composition of human milk before and during subclinical and clinical mastitis
title_sort immunological composition of human milk before and during subclinical and clinical mastitis
topic human milk
mastitis
lactation
breastfeeding
immunoglobulins
chemokines
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2024.1532432/full
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