Impact of consumption of the human milk oligosaccharides 2′-FL and LNnT on reduction of risk of allergic sensitisation

• Published in: Food and agricultural immunology 2024-12, Vol.35 (1)
• Main Authors: Holvoet, Sébastien, Foata, Francis, Nutten, Sophie, Ní Cléirigh, Ellen, Shevlyakova, Maya, Kwong Chung, Cheong, Lefevre, Gregory, Sprenger, Norbert, Bourdeau, Tristan, Donnicola, Dominique, Noti, Mario, Combremont, Severine, Binia, Aristea, Nembrini, Chiara, Vogel, Mandy, Kiess, Wieland, Blanchard, Carine
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Allergies; Atopic dermatitis; Breast milk; Dermatitis; food allergy; human milk oligosaccharides; In vivo methods and tests; infant nutrition; Infants; Intestinal microflora; Microorganisms; Oligosaccharides; Oral administration; Risk management; Risk reduction; sensitisation
• ISSN: 0954-0105; 1465-3443
• DOI: 10.1080/09540105.2023.2301703

Human Milk Oligosaccharides (HMOs) have been proposed to be instrumental in building immune competence. To explore the role of HMOs in allergy prevention, twenty-one HMOs were quantified in breast milk samples and associated with sensitisation in infants. 2′-fucosyllactose (2′-FL) levels were positively associated with an increased risk of sensitisation, atopic dermatitis and recurrent skin rash. Interestingly, 2′-FL levels, ranging from 1.35 to 1.95 g/L, were associated with a higher prevalence of non-allergic and non-sensitised infants. The role of 2′-FL and lacto-N-neotetraose (LNnT) was further investigated in allergic sensitisation models in vivo. Oral administration of HMOs decreased allergic sensitisation. This was associated with gut microbiota and short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) production changes. Aligned with the clinical associations, the decreased sensitisation was not observed with lower and higher tested doses of the HMOs supporting a U-shape association between 2′-FL and LNnT levels and allergic sensitisation risk reduction in humans and mice. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02550236 .