Fingerprinting Breast Milk; insights into Milk Exosomics

Eleni Papakonstantinou^{1

2}, Konstantina Dragoumani¹, Antonia Mataragka¹, Flora Bacopoulou², Christos Yapijakis², Nikolaos Aa Balatsos³, Katerina Pissaridi⁴, Dimitris Ladikos⁴, Aspasia Eftymiadou⁵, George Katsaros⁵, Evangelos Gikas⁶, Pantelis Hatzis⁷, Martina Samiotaki⁸, Michalis Aivaliotis⁹, Vasileios Megalooikonomou¹⁰, Antonis Giannakakis¹¹, Costas Iliopoulos¹², Erik Bongcam-Rudloff¹³, Sofia Kossida¹⁴, Elias Eliopoulos¹, George P Chrousos², Dimitrios Vlachakis^{1

2

12}

Affiliations

¹ Laboratory of Genetics, Department of Biotechnology, School of Applied Biology and Biotechnology, Agricultural University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
² University Research Institute of Maternal and Child Health & Precision Medicine, and UNESCO Chair on Adolescent Health Care, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, "Aghia Sophia" Children's Hospital, Athens, Greece.
³ Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, University of Thessaly, Biopolis, Larissa, Greece.
⁴ YIOTIS S.A., Athens, Greece.
⁵ Institute of Technology of Agricultural Products, Hellenic Agricultural Organization "DEMETER", Lykovrisi, Greece.
⁶ Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
⁷ Institute for Fundamental Biomedical Research, Biomedical Sciences Research Center Alexander Fleming, Athens, Greece.
⁸ Institute for Bioinnovation, Biomedical Sciences Research Center "Alexander Fleming", Vari, Greece.
⁹ Basic and Translational Research Unit, Special Unit for Biomedical Research and Education, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.
¹⁰ Multidimensional Data Analysis and Knowledge Management Laboratory, Computer Engineering and Informatics Department, School of Engineering, University of Patras, Patras, Greece.
¹¹ Laboratory of Gene Expression, Molecular Diagnostics and Modern Therapeutics, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Democritus University of Thrace, Alexandroupolis, Greece.
¹² School of Informatics, Faculty of Natural & Mathematical Sciences, King's College London, London, U.K.
¹³ Department of Animal Biosciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden.
¹⁴ IMGT, the international ImMunoGenetics information system, Laboratoire d'ImmunoGénétique Moléculaire LIGM, Institut de Génétique Humaine, (IGH), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université de Montpellier (UM), Montpellier, France.

PMID: 38845752
PMCID: PMC11155295
DOI: 10.14806/ej.29.0.1048

Fingerprinting Breast Milk; insights into Milk Exosomics

Eleni Papakonstantinou et al. EMBnet J. 2024.

. 2024:29:e1048.

doi: 10.14806/ej.29.0.1048. Epub 2024 May 22.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Laboratory of Genetics, Department of Biotechnology, School of Applied Biology and Biotechnology, Agricultural University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
² University Research Institute of Maternal and Child Health & Precision Medicine, and UNESCO Chair on Adolescent Health Care, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, "Aghia Sophia" Children's Hospital, Athens, Greece.
³ Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, University of Thessaly, Biopolis, Larissa, Greece.
⁴ YIOTIS S.A., Athens, Greece.
⁵ Institute of Technology of Agricultural Products, Hellenic Agricultural Organization "DEMETER", Lykovrisi, Greece.
⁶ Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
⁷ Institute for Fundamental Biomedical Research, Biomedical Sciences Research Center Alexander Fleming, Athens, Greece.
⁸ Institute for Bioinnovation, Biomedical Sciences Research Center "Alexander Fleming", Vari, Greece.
⁹ Basic and Translational Research Unit, Special Unit for Biomedical Research and Education, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.
¹⁰ Multidimensional Data Analysis and Knowledge Management Laboratory, Computer Engineering and Informatics Department, School of Engineering, University of Patras, Patras, Greece.
¹¹ Laboratory of Gene Expression, Molecular Diagnostics and Modern Therapeutics, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Democritus University of Thrace, Alexandroupolis, Greece.
¹² School of Informatics, Faculty of Natural & Mathematical Sciences, King's College London, London, U.K.
¹³ Department of Animal Biosciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden.
¹⁴ IMGT, the international ImMunoGenetics information system, Laboratoire d'ImmunoGénétique Moléculaire LIGM, Institut de Génétique Humaine, (IGH), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université de Montpellier (UM), Montpellier, France.

PMID: 38845752
PMCID: PMC11155295
DOI: 10.14806/ej.29.0.1048

Abstract

Breast milk, often referred to as "liquid gold," is a complex biofluid that provides essential nutrients, immune factors, and developmental cues for newborns. Recent advancements in the field of exosome research have shed light on the critical role of exosomes in breast milk. Exosomes are nanosized vesicles that carry bioactive molecules, including proteins, lipids, nucleic acids, and miRNAs. These tiny messengers play a vital role in intercellular communication and are now being recognized as key players in infant health and development. This paper explores the emerging field of milk exosomics, emphasizing the potential of exosome fingerprinting to uncover valuable insights into the composition and function of breast milk. By deciphering the exosomal cargo, we can gain a deeper understanding of how breast milk influences neonatal health and may even pave the way for personalized nutrition strategies.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: EP none; KD none; AM none; FB none; CY none; NAB none; KP none; DL none; AE none; GK none; EG none; PH none; MS none; MA none; VM none; AG none; CI none; EBR none; SK none; EE none; GPC none; DV is a member of EMBnet. journal Editorial Board

Cited by

Exosome isolation and characterization for advanced diagnostic and therapeutic applications.
Mukerjee N, Bhattacharya A, Maitra S, Kaur M, Ganesan S, Mishra S, Ashraf A, Rizwan M, Kesari KK, Tabish TA, Thorat ND. Mukerjee N, et al. Mater Today Bio. 2025 Feb 25;31:101613. doi: 10.1016/j.mtbio.2025.101613. eCollection 2025 Apr. Mater Today Bio. 2025. PMID: 40161926 Free PMC article.

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Fingerprinting Breast Milk; insights into Milk Exosomics

Affiliations

Fingerprinting Breast Milk; insights into Milk Exosomics

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

Conflict of interest statement

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