Anti-Inflammatory Systems in Human Milk

Abstract

Mucosal surfaces of the alimentary tract and respiratory system are exposed to a host of deleterious agents, many of which are microorganisms and their products. The tissues of these organ-systems are defended by an array of resistance factors including the mucus barrier, lysozyme, lactoferrin, and antibodies principally of the secretory IgA isotype (Goldman et al., 1985; Udall, 1985). During early life, however, these immunologic mechanisms are poorly developed and the infant is therefore more vulnerable to the effects of microbial pathogens, foreign antigens, or inflammatory substances that are generated by the activation of elements of the next line of defense - the complement system, coagulation factors, certain isotypes of immunoglobulins (IgG, IgM, and IgE), local or elicited leukocytes, (mast cells, basophils, macrophages, neutrophils, NK cells, T cells) and a wide variety of mediators.