Oxylipin profile of human milk and human milk-derived extracellular vesicles.

BACKGROUND

Small Extracellular Vesicles (sEVs) are nano-sized vesicles that are present in all biofluids including human milk (HM) playing a crucial role in cell-to-cell communication and the stimulation of the neonatal immune system. Oxylipins, which are bioactive lipids formed from polyunsaturated fatty acids, have gained considerable attention due to their potential role in mitigating disease progression and modulating the inflammatory status of breastfed infants. This study aims at an in-depth characterization of the oxylipin profiles of HM and, for the first time, of HM-derived sEVs (HMEVs) employing an ad-hoc developed and validated ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) method.

RESULTS

The UPLC-MS/MS method covered a panel of 13 oxylipins for quantitation and 93 oxylipins for semi-quantitation. In 200 μL of HM and HMEV isolates of 15 individuals, 42 out of 106 oxylipins were detected in either HM or HMEVs, with 38 oxylipins being detected in both matrices. Oxylipins presented distinct profiles in HM and HMEVs, suggesting specific mechanisms responsible for the encapsulation of target molecules in HMEVs. Ten and eight oxylipins were quantified with ranges between 0.03 - 73 nM and 0.30 pM-0.07 nM in HM and HMEVs, respectively. The most abundant oxylipins found in HMEVs were docosahexaenoic acid derivatives (17-HDHA and 14-HDHA) with known anti-inflammatory properties, and linoleic acid derivatives (9-10-DiHOME and 12,13-DiHOME) in HM samples.

SIGNIFICANCE AND NOVELTY

This is the first time a selective, relative enrichment of anti-inflammatory oxylipins in HMEVs has been described. Future studies will focus on the anti-inflammatory and pro-healing capacity of oxylipins encapsulated in HMEVs, with potential clinical applications in the field of preterm infant care, specifically the prevention of severe intestinal complications including necrotizing enterocolitis.

Informations de copyright

Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts

Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Julia Kuligowski reports financial support was provided by Carlos III Health Institute. Abel Albiach-Delgado reports financial support was provided by Carlos III Health Institute. Pilar Sepulveda reports financial support was provided by Carlos III Health Institute. Jose L Moreno-Casillas reports financial support was provided by Government of Valencia. Julia Kuligowski reports financial support was provided by Government of Valencia. Julia Kuligowski reports financial support was provided by Valencia Innovation Agency. Pilar Sepulveda reports financial support was provided by Valencia Innovation Agency. Julia Kuligowski reports financial support was provided by Spain Ministry of Science and Innovation. Isabel Ten-Doménech reports financial support was provided by Valencia Innovation Agency. Guillermo Quintas reports financial report was provided by Spain Ministry of Science and Innovation. Abel Albiach-Delgado, Isabel Ten-Domenech, Pilar Sepulveda, and Marta Gomez-Ferrer have patent Composition comprising oxylipins present in human milk derived small extracellular vesicles and its use in the prevention and treatment of intestinal diseases (EP23382313) (pending). If there are other authors, they declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.