Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) maintain infant gut ecology

Breast milk provides infants with essential macronutrients and micronutrients as well as bioactive compounds. Breast milk oligosaccharides are the components with the highest content in mature breast milk except carbohydrates and lipids, with a concentration of 5-15g/L. HMOs ingested by infants pass largely intact through the gastrointestinal tract to the large intestine, where they exert prebiotic effects by promoting the growth of beneficial microorganisms present in the resident colonic microbiota. HMOs can also act as receptor analogs to block the binding of intestinal pathogens and their toxins to the mucosal surface, and can directly activate cell surface receptors to affect various functions of the intestinal epithelial barrier.
First, HMOs protect gut barrier imbalances
Second, 2′-FL, 2′-FL/LNnT and HMO6 induced Bifidobacteriaceae in a product-dependent manner
Third, HMOs fermentation products but not lactose protect the intestinal barrier from pro-inflammatory challenges
Fourth, HMOs and lactose affect gut homeostasis differently