Intestinal transport of manganese from human milk, bovine milk and infant formula in rats.

The transport of manganese from extrinsically labeled human milk, bovine milk and infant formula was studied by the everted intestinal sac method. Tissue/mucosal flux data indicated that transport of manganese into the intestinal tissue was significantly greater with bovine milk and formula than from human milk. Similarly, the total flux of manganese from the mucosal to serosal surface was less when human milk was used. Smaller molecular weight manganese binding ligands isolated from the milk samples enhanced the mucosal to tissue movement of manganese as contrasted to the higher molecular weight manganese binding ligands. Most significantly the data suggest that the transport and uptake of manganese is less in the presence of human milk and its isolated manganese fractions than it is in bovine milk or infant formula.