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Updated: Jul 20, 2026
Breast Milk Enhances Growth of Enteroids: An Ex Vivo Model of Cell Proliferation
Published on: February 15, 2018
Biological activity of bovine milk on proliferation of human intestinal cells
Stig Purup1, Mogens Vestergaard, Lone O Pedersen
1Department of Animal Health, Welfare and Nutrition, Danish Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Research Centre Foulum, PO Box 50, DK-8830 Tjele, Denmark. stig.purup@agrsci.dk
To evaluate the bioactivity of bovine milk from different stages of lactation on human intestinal tissue, a human fetal small intestinal cell line was used as a model system. Milk samples representing six stages of lactation: days 1, 2-3, 6-7 and weeks 12 and 24 after parturition, 1 week before drying off, and milk-like secretion from two stages of the dry period: 7 weeks and 3-4 weeks before expected calving, were collected from 64 Holstein Friesian cows. The whey fraction of the milk or milk-like secretion was added to the culture medium in concentrations ranging from 0.078% to 10%. The growth-promoting activity of whey was measured by determining the incorporation of [3H]thymidine into DNA for the last 24 h of the culture period. Whey fractions from all six stages of lactation stimulated growth of intestinal cells. The growth-promoting activity of colostrum or milk significantly decreased within the first week after calving. The growth-promoting activity in mature milk increased gradually during lactation to reach a level significantly higher than that obtained with colostrum. The growth-promoting activity of whey from milk-like secretion collected after drying off was lower than that of colostrum. Whey from different stages of lactation contained significantly different concentrations of TGF-beta1 (0.5-27 ng/ml) and TGF-beta2 (12-1219 ng/ml). However, neither the differences in TGF-beta1 and TGF-beta2, nor the differences in IGF-I and IGF-binding proteins could fully explain the differences in growth-promoting activity of colostrums or milk from different stages of lactation, suggesting that other factors were also involved. The present study showed that bovine milk contained a number of biologically active components that affected growth and development of human intestinal tissue. The results showed that the growth-promoting activity of colostrum and milk was dependent on the stage of lactation in accordance with previous results obtained with mammary epithelial cells. The changes in growth-promoting activity with stage of lactation were probably related to changes in concentrations of several growth factors.
To evaluate the bioactivity of bovine milk from different stages of lactation on human intestinal tissue, a human fetal small intestinal cell line was used as a model system. Milk samples representing six stages of lactation: days 1, 2-3, 6-7 and weeks 12 and 24 after parturition, 1 week before drying off, and milk-like secretion from two stages of the dry period: 7 weeks and 3-4 weeks before expected calving, were collected from 64 Holstein Friesian cows. The whey fraction of the milk or milk-like secretion was added to the culture medium in concentrations ranging from 0.078% to 10%. The growth-promoting activity of whey was measured by determining the incorporation of [3H]thymidine into DNA for the last 24 h of the culture period. Whey fractions from all six stages of lactation stimulated growth of intestinal cells. The growth-promoting activity of colostrum or milk significantly decreased within the first week after calving. The growth-promoting activity in mature milk increased gradually during lactation to reach a level significantly higher than that obtained with colostrum. The growth-promoting activity of whey from milk-like secretion collected after drying off was lower than that of colostrum. Whey from different stages of lactation contained significantly different concentrations of TGF-beta1 (0.5-27 ng/ml) and TGF-beta2 (12-1219 ng/ml). However, neither the differences in TGF-beta1 and TGF-beta2, nor the differences in IGF-I and IGF-binding proteins could fully explain the differences in growth-promoting activity of colostrums or milk from different stages of lactation, suggesting that other factors were also involved. The present study showed that bovine milk contained a number of biologically active components that affected growth and development of human intestinal tissue. The results showed that the growth-promoting activity of colostrum and milk was dependent on the stage of lactation in accordance with previous results obtained with mammary epithelial cells. The changes in growth-promoting activity with stage of lactation were probably related to changes in concentrations of several growth factors.
