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

Rebecca Hoban1, Krystle M Perez1, D Taylor Hendrixson1

  • 1Seattle Children's Hospital, University of Washington Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, Seattle, WA, USA.

Early Human Development
|September 30, 2024
PubMed

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:
GastroschisisHuman milkIntraventricular hemorrhageNecrotizing enterocolitisNeonatalOral immune therapyPreterm infantStem cell

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