From breast milk to brains: The potential of stem cells in human milk

摘要

The breast is a unique organ in that it fully matures during pregnancy and lactation, when it undergoes complete remodeling of its epithelium and stroma to support the synthesis and secretion of milk and its delivery to the infant.1 Mammary stem cells are responsible for the changes that occur in the breast during this period, which can be repeated many times during the life of a female. What is less well known is that these stem cells, together with other cell types from the breast, filter down into breast milk and are ingested by the breastfeeding child. Interestingly, stem cells in human breast milk have been recently shown to have pluripotent features.