2′-fucosyllactose: an abundant, genetically determined soluble glycan present in human milk
[EN]Lactose isthe preeminent soluble glycan in milk and a significant source of energy for most newborn mammals. Elongation of lactose with additional monosaccharides gives rise to a varied repertoire of free soluble glycans such as 2′-fucosyllactose (2′-FL), which is the most abundant oligosacchari...
| Autores: | , , |
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| Tipo de documento: | artigo |
| Estado: | Versão publicada |
| Data de publicação: | 2013 |
| País: | España |
| Recursos: | Universidad de Salamanca (USAL) |
| Repositório: | GREDOS. Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Salamanca |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:gredos.usal.es:10366/167856 |
| Acesso em linha: | http://hdl.handle.net/10366/167856 |
| Access Level: | Acceso aberto |
| Palavra-chave: | 2′-fucosyllactose Breastfeeding oligosaccharides Prebiotic Glycans Milk 3206 Ciencias de la Nutrición |
| Resumo: | [EN]Lactose isthe preeminent soluble glycan in milk and a significant source of energy for most newborn mammals. Elongation of lactose with additional monosaccharides gives rise to a varied repertoire of free soluble glycans such as 2′-fucosyllactose (2′-FL), which is the most abundant oligosaccharide in human milk. In infants, 2′-FL is resistant to digestion and reaches the colon where it is partially fermented, behaving as soluble prebiotic fiber. Evidence also suggests that portions of small soluble milk glycans, including 2′-FL, are absorbed, thus raising the possibility of systemic biological effects. 2′-FL bears an epitope of the Secretor histo-blood group system; approximately 70–80% of all milk samples contain 2′-FL, since its synthesis depends on a fucosyltransferase that is not uniformly expressed. The fact that some infants are not exposed to 2′-FL has helped researchers to retrospectively probe for biological activities of this glycan. This review summarizes the attributes of 2′-FL in terms of its occurrence in mammalian phylogeny, its postulated biological activities, and its variability in human milk. |
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