The Immunological Role of Milk Fat Globule Membrane

Abstract

Human milk is the ideal food for newborns until the age of six months. Human milk can be defined as a dynamic living tissue, containing immunological molecules, such as immunoglobulins, supra-molecular structures, such as the milk fat globule membrane (MFGM), and even entire cells, such as the milk microbiota. The milk composition changes throughout lactation to fulfill the infant's requirements and reflect the healthy/disease status of the lactating mother. Many bioactive milk components are either soluble or bound to the MFGM. In this work, we focus on the peculiar role of the MFGM components, from their structural organization in fat globules to their route into the gastrointestinal tract. Immunometabolic differences between human and bovine MFGM components are reported and the advantages of supplementing infant formula with the MFGM are highlighted.

Keywords: MFGM; breastfeeding; human milk; immunometabolism; milk fat globule membrane.

Figure 1

Schematic representation of the molecular–structural interplay in MFG with the tripartite membrane, intestinal barrier, and gut microbiota. This is a schematic representation; the dimensions are not in scale, but it is useful to highlight the MFGM platform role for assuring interplay among different structures.