Seong-Min Kim1,2,3, Suk-Jeong Kim1,2,3, Jae-Yong Kim1,2,3, Jae-Ryong Kim4, Kyung-Hyun Cho1,2,3. 1. 1 Department of Medical Biotechnology, Yeungnam University , Gyeongsan, Republic of Korea. 2. 2 Research Institute of Protein Sensor, Yeungnam University , Gyeongsan, Republic of Korea. 3. 3 BK21plus Program Serum Biomedical Research and Education Team, Yeungnam University , Gyeongsan, Republic of Korea. 4. 4 Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Medicine, Yeungnam University , Daegu, South Korea .
Abstract
BACKGROUND: To determine the quality of breast milk (BM), we compared the functions of BM from ex-smokers and nonsmokers. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We analyzed the contents of lipids, glucose, and protein in BM from ex-smokers (10 cigarettes/day for 13 ± 3 years) as well as infant formula. RESULTS: Nonsmokers' BM showed 2.4- and 1.4-fold higher cholesterol and protein contents, respectively, than BM from smokers. Infant formula contained almost no cholesterol, but did show remarkably higher glucose and triglyceride levels than BM. Microinjection of BM (50 nL) from nonsmokers and smokers into zebrafish embryos resulted in 59% and 44% survival, respectively, whereas formula injection resulted in 31% survival. The higher cholesterol and protein contents of BM were directly correlated with higher embryo survivability, suggesting that cholesterol content is directly and critically associated with growth of neonate infants. Smokers' BM contained smaller-sized apolipoproteinA-I (apoA-I) (24.4 ± 0.2 kDa) than BM from nonsmokers (26.7 ± 0.4 kDa), suggesting that putative modification and cleavage occurred in apoA-I. BM containing higher molecular weight apoA-I resulted in higher embryo survivability. CONCLUSIONS: Smoking before pregnancy can affect the composition and quality of BM, resulting in almost complete loss of cholesterol and protein, especially lactoferrin, lactalbumin, and apoA-I, accompanied by proteolytic degradation. These impairment effects of BM are associated with elevation of oxidative stress and lower embryo survivability.
BACKGROUND: To determine the quality of breast milk (BM), we compared the functions of BM from ex-smokers and nonsmokers. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We analyzed the contents of lipids, glucose, and protein in BM from ex-smokers (10 cigarettes/day for 13 ± 3 years) as well as infant formula. RESULTS: Nonsmokers' BM showed 2.4- and 1.4-fold higher cholesterol and protein contents, respectively, than BM from smokers. Infant formula contained almost no cholesterol, but did show remarkably higher glucose and triglyceride levels than BM. Microinjection of BM (50 nL) from nonsmokers and smokers into zebrafish embryos resulted in 59% and 44% survival, respectively, whereas formula injection resulted in 31% survival. The higher cholesterol and protein contents of BM were directly correlated with higher embryo survivability, suggesting that cholesterol content is directly and critically associated with growth of neonate infants. Smokers' BM contained smaller-sized apolipoproteinA-I (apoA-I) (24.4 ± 0.2 kDa) than BM from nonsmokers (26.7 ± 0.4 kDa), suggesting that putative modification and cleavage occurred in apoA-I. BM containing higher molecular weight apoA-I resulted in higher embryo survivability. CONCLUSIONS: Smoking before pregnancy can affect the composition and quality of BM, resulting in almost complete loss of cholesterol and protein, especially lactoferrin, lactalbumin, and apoA-I, accompanied by proteolytic degradation. These impairment effects of BM are associated with elevation of oxidative stress and lower embryo survivability.
Entities:
Keywords:
antioxidant; apolipoprotein A-I; cholesterol; smokers' breast milk; zebrafish embryo