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IntroductionThe short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) contained in breast milk play a key role in infant growth, affecting metabolism and enhancing intestinal immunity by regulating inflammation.MethodsIn order to examine the associations between the microbiota and SCFA levels in breast milk, and explore the roles of SCFAs in regulating the infant gut microbiota, we enrolled 50 paired mothers and infants and collected both breast milk and infant fecal samples. Breast milk SCFA contents were determined by UPLC-MS, and whole genome shotgun sequencing was applied to determine the microbial composition of breast milk and infant feces. The SCFA levels in breast milk were grouped into tertiles as high, medium, or low, and the differences of intestinal microbiota and KEGG pathways were compared among groups.ResultsThe results demonstrated that breast milk butyric acid (C4) is significantly associated with Clostridium leptum richness in breastmilk. Additionally, the specific Bifidobacterium may have an interactive symbiosis with the main species of C4-producing bacteria in human milk. Women with a low breast milk C4 tertile are associated with a high abundance of Salmonella and Salmonella enterica in their infants' feces. KEGG pathway analysis further showed that the content of C4 in breast milk is significantly correlated with the infants' metabolic pathways of lysine and arginine biosynthesis.DiscussionThis study suggests that interactive symbiosis of the microbiota exists in breast milk. Certain breast milk microbes could be beneficial by producing C4 and further influence the abundance of certain gut microbes in infants, playing an important role in early immune and metabolic development.

IntroductionBrain development during infancy is crucial for later health and development. Although Milk Fat Globule Membrane (MFGM) has been demonstrated to enhance brain development, further investigation is needed to determine the optimal dose.MethodsIn this study, 80 piglets aged 2 days were randomly assigned to four groups: Control group, MFGM-L (1.74 g MFGM per 100 g diet), MFGM-M (4.64 g MFGM per 100 g diet), and MFGM-H (6.09 g MFGM per 100 g diet). Daily body weight and milk intake of the piglets were recorded until 31 days postnatal. Learning and memory abilities were evaluated using the spatial T-maze test on day 15. MRI analysis was conducted to assess functional and structural changes in brain tissues. Additionally, mRNA and protein expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and neurotrophin-3 (NTF-3) in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex were evaluated.ResultsThe results indicated that the MFGM supplemented diet significantly improved the accuracy of the piglets in the T-maze test, with the MFGM-L group exhibiting the best performance. MRI showed no volumetric differences in the gray and white matter between the groups. However, the fractional anisotropy in the left and right hippocampus of piglets in the MFGM-L group was significantly higher than in the other three groups. Furthermore, there was a strong correlation between the accuracy of the T-maze test and hippocampal fractional anisotropy.DiscussionThe MFGM supplemented diet also increased the expression of BDNF in the cerebral cortex. However, the changes in BDNF were not consistent with the results of the T-maze test. In conclusion, adding 1.74 g MFGM per 100 g diet can significantly improve neonatal piglets’ learning and memory abilities, potentially by enhancing the connection of white matter fiber bundles in the brain.

IntroductionProteins in breast milk play an important role in the growth and development of infants. This study aims to explore the correlation between functional proteins in breast milk and the infant gut microbiota.MethodsTwenty-three mothers and their infants were enrolled and breast milk samples and infant fecal samples were collected. Breast milk protein content was determined by UPLC-MS/MS, and 16S rRNA sequencing was employed to analyze the gut microbiota of infant.ResultsThe results indicated that the secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) content in breast milk was positively correlated with the abundance of Veillonella parvula. The κ-casein content was positively correlated with the abundance of Clostridium butyricum. The osteopontin (OPN) and lactalbumin contents were positively correlated with the abundance of Parabacteroides distasonis at 42 days. Functional pathway analysis showed that the OPN and κ-casein contents in breast milk were significantly correlated with amino acid, pyruvate, propionic acid, linoleic acid, and alpha-linolenic acid metabolic pathways in early life.DiscussionThe results of this study suggest that specific proteins in breast milk can influence the abundance of certain gut microbes in infants, playing an important role in early immune and metabolic development.

Insufficient calcium intake during growth is a global public health concern. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of dietary menaquinone-7 (MK-7) on bone accrual in growing Sprague–Dawley rats under calcium restriction. Following 13 weeks of treatment, various bone quality parameters, including microarchitecture, were measured. Fecal and cecal samples were subjected to microbiome (16S rRNA gene sequencing) analyses, while metabolomics analysis of the cecum and humerus samples was analyzed based on UHPLC-Q/TOF-MS. We found that calcium deficiency diminished the richness of the microbiome and disrupted microbiome composition, accompanied by an elevation in the relative abundance of Parasutterella. Furthermore, calcium insufficiency escalated the level of isovaleric acid and modified the metabolic profiles. MK-7 supplementation significantly increased the cortical thickness, cortical bone area, and the calcium content of the femur. Apart from improving bone calcium deposition and diminishing bone resorption, the mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of MK on bone quality also involve the modulation of the host’s metabolic pathways and the composition of gut microbiota. The gut–bone axis holds promise as an efficacious target for ameliorating calcium deficiency in children’s bone quality, and MK-7 is a promising dietary supplement from this perspective.

BackgroundThe findings of the association between maternal polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) levels during pregnancy and offspring weight status are controversial. Furthermore, few studies have focused on Asian populations or used erythrocyte membranes as biological markers. We aimed to examine the associations between maternal erythrocyte PUFA and offspring weight status within the first 2 years among the Chinese population.Materials and methodsA total of 607 mother-child pairs were recruited from a birth cohort. Maternal erythrocyte n-3 and n-6 PUFA during pregnancy were measured by gas chromatography, and the ratio of PUFA was calculated. Weight- and body mass index (BMI)-for-age z (WAZ and BAZ) scores were calculated for offspring at 1, 3, 6, 8, 12, 18, and 24 months of age. The risk of overweight and obesity was defined by the WHO criterion. The Generalized Estimating Equation (GEE) model was carried out for repeated anthropometric data within 2 years of age.ResultsMaternal erythrocyte docosapentaenoic acid (DPA, n-3) was inversely associated with offspring BAZ score [tertile 2 vs. tertile 1, β: −0.18 (−0.29, −0.00)]. Higher maternal erythrocyte arachidonic acid (AA) was inversely associated with lower offspring WAZ and BAZ [tertile 3 vs. tertile 1, β: −0.18 (−0.35, −0.02), −0.22 (−0.38, −0.06), respectively]. Furthermore, higher maternal erythrocyte AA [tertile 3 vs. tertile 1, odds ratio [OR]: 0.52 (0.36, 0.75), ptrend < 0.001] and total n-6 PUFA [tertile 3 vs. tertile 1, OR: 0.56 (0.39, 0.81), ptrend = 0.002] were associated with decreased risk of overweight and obesity in offspring. Maternal erythrocyte n-6/n-3 PUFA and AA/eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) ratios were not associated with offspring weight status.ConclusionMaternal erythrocyte PUFA might influence offspring weight status within 2 years of age in the Chinese population. Further Asian studies are still needed.

Probiotics and prebiotics relieve constipation by altering the composition of the intestinal microbiota. However, their synergistic mechanism of action remains unclear. Herein, an in vitro fermentation model was constructed to examine the synergistic effects of Bifidobacterium lactis BL-99 and fructooligosaccharide (FOS) on the regulation of intestinal microbiota from a population with constipation. The utilization of FOS was promoted by BL-99, and the increase rate being 22.33%. Relative to the BL-99 and the FOS groups, the BL-99_FOS group showed a highly significant increase in acetic acid content (P < 0.01) and a marked decrease in CO2 and H2S contents (P < 0.01) in the fermentation broth. In addition, the BL-99_FOS combination significantly changed the structure of the intestinal microbiota, enhanced the relative abundances of beneficial bacteria that relieved constipation, including Bifidobacterium, Fecalibacterium, Lactobacillus, Subdoligranulum, and Blautia, and decreased those of the harmful bacteria, including Bilophila and Escherichia-Shigella. These findings suggested that BL-99 and FOS synergistically regulated the composition and structure of the intestinal microbiota from the population with constipation and increased acetic acid and decreased CO2 and H2S levels, thereby providing a theoretical basis for the application of synbiotics.

[Objective] This study was conducted to develop some new iron yam (Dioscorea opposita) varieties with excellent cooking, eating and nutritional qualities. [Method] The fresh weight per plant, drying rate, dry weight per plant, yield, allantoin content, water soluble extract content and disease resistance of seven new iron yam cultivars (No.1, No.2, No.4, No.6, No.8, No.9 and No.10) obtained through spaceflight mutation breeding were measured and compared with control (No.11). Then, the nutrition quality of two elite cultivars No. 6 and No.10 was determined by comparing with the control. [Result] The eight iron yam cultivars ranked in descending order of their fresh weight per plant as follows: No.6(0.255 kg)>No.10(0.254 kg)> No.4(0.242 kg)>No.9(0.237 kg)>No.1 (0.233 kg)>No.11(0.206 kg)>No.2(0.191 kg)>No.8 (0.157 kg). There was no significant difference in fresh weight per plant between No.6 and No. 10, but extremely significant difference between No.6 and the control, No.10 and the control. The eight iron yam cultivars ranked in descending order of their drying rate as follows: No.2 (32.641 %)>No. 10 (32.230%)>No.9 (28.223%)>No.6 (25.174%)>No.8(25.122%)>No. 11 (25.043%)>No. 1(24.291 %)>No.4(20.234%). The drying rate of both No.6 and No.10 was higher than that of the control. The eight iron yam cultivars ranked in descending order of their dry weight per plant as follows: No.10(0.082 kg)>No.9(0.067 kg)>No.6(0.064 kg)>No.2(0.062 kg)>No.1 (0.056 kg)>No.11 (0.052 kg)>No.4 (0.049 kg)>No.8 (0.039 kg). The dry weight per plant of both No.6 and No.10 is higher than that of the control. The eight iron yam cultivars ranked in descending order of their ailantoin content as follows No.6 (0.484%)>No.4 (0.467%)> No.10 (0.399%)>No. 11 (0.386%)>No.9 (0.378%) >No.8 (0.350%) >No.2 (0.342) >No.1 (0.325%). The ailantoin content of No.6 was significantly higher than that of No.10 and the control. There was significant difference in ailantoin content between No.6 and No.10, but rio significant difference between No 10 arid the control. The eight iron yam cultivars ranked in descending order of their extract content as follows No. 6(20.49%)>No.2(16.01%)>No.4(15.54%)>No.10(15.35%)>No.1(14.48%)>No.11(14.10%) >No.9(13.88%)>No.8(11.87%). The extract content of No.6 exhibited extremely significant difference with that of No.10 and the control, and the extract content of No. 10 was also significantly different from that of the control. The taste of No.10 was dry, soft, floury, sweet arid fragrant, better than that of the other seven cultivars. No.6 had the strongest resistance to Gloeosporium pestis and Cylindrosporium dioscoreae. No.10 had a middle resistance to G. pestis and a strong resistance to C. dioscoreae. No.6 and No.10 had higher contents of starch, reducing sugar, protein and ash, lower water content and better nutrition quality than the control. [Conclusion] No.10 can be popularized as a new variety of edible iron yam, and No.6 as a new variety of medicinal iron yam. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]