Non-nutritional use of human milk as a therapeutic agent in neonates: Brain, gut, and immunologic targets

Abstract

Human milk (HM) exposure improves short- and long-term outcomes for infants due to a complex milieu of bioactive, stem cell, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, and nutritive components. Given this remarkable biologic fluid, non-nutritional utilization of HM as a targeted therapeutic is being explored in pre-clinical and clinical studies. This article describes recent research pertinent to non-nutritional uses of HM for neurologic, gastrointestinal, and infectious pathologies in neonates, as well as future directions.

Keywords: Gastroschisis; Human milk; Intraventricular hemorrhage; Necrotizing enterocolitis; Neonatal; Oral immune therapy; Preterm infant; Stem cell.