Human milk polysaccharide (HMPs) are multifunctional glycans which are natural constituents of human milk, and are the third most abundant solid component after lactose and lipids. They are a structurally and biologically diverse group of complex indigestible sugars. HMOs are made of five basic monosaccharides: glucose (Glc), galactose (Gal), N-ethylglucosamine (GlcNAc), fucose (Fuc) and sialic acid (SA). Almost all HMOs contain lactose (Gal-B1, 4-Glc) at the reducing end, which can be extended with lacto-N-biose I (Gal-b1, 3GlcNAc) or lactosamine (Gal-b1, 4-GlcNAc). They act as prebiotics through the promotion of growth of beneficial intestinal bacteria. Thus leading to the generation of short-chain fatty acids which are vital for a healthy gut. They are also known to directly modulate host-epithelial immune responses and can reduce binding of pathogenic bacteria and viruses to the gut epithelium selectivley thereby preventing the emergence of a disease.
References
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