Immune components of early breastmilk: Association with maternal factors and with reported food allergy in childhood

Background Breastmilk (BM) may participate in driving gut barrier function and immunity in the neonate. We analyzed immune and growth factor concentrations in early BM and their association with maternal/environmental characteristics and with food allergy (FA) in childhood. Methods One BM sample was collected in maternity from some mothers in the EDEN birth cohort (n = 2002 mother-child dyads). A random selection was performed among available samples (subcohort, n = 272), for which all deliveries were full-term, various maternal/environmental characteristics were recorded, and parents answered yearly the question Has a medical doctor diagnosed a FA in your child? (26 parent-reported FA cases). Only samples collected between day 2 and day 6 post-partum were considered for descriptive analysis (n = 263). Samples for all other FA cases available were added to the subcohort (46 additional cases; casecohort design). Fifty cytokines, antibodies, and growth factor concentrations were determined using multiplexed kits and analyzed using robust statistical procedures. Results BM components exhibited wide concentration ranges and global day-to-day variation. Different clusters of correlated factors appeared, with components from the main cluster related to maternal diet during pregnancy. Primiparity was positively associated with eleven other components, whereas other factors (eg, maternal atopy and smoking) were related to fewer components. Finally, the casecohort design highlighted a positive association between CXCL10, TNF beta, and IL-2 concentrations and reported FA in childhood. Conclusion Beyond the unique description of early BM composition, we show that immune information transmitted to the neonate is related to various maternal factors and identified components associated with FA diagnosis in childhood.