Do Milk-Borne Cytokines and Hormones Influence Neonatal Immune Cell Function?
Department of Nutrition and * Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 Cytokines, growth factors and various hormones collectively control the proliferation, survival, differentiation and function of immune cells. A wide array of these compounds is present in maternal milk and ingested by neonates during a period of rapid maturation of gut-associated and peripheral lymphoid tissues. The functional consequences of most milk immunomodulatory constituents in neonates are unknown. However, there is evidence that milk prolactin acts as a developmental regulator of the neonatal immune system, supporting the premise that milk constituents with immunomodulatory activity may serve as neonatal immunodevelopment agents. Key words: cytokines, prolactin, milk, immune system, development.
