The changes in HMOs of GDM mothers over lactation: Regulation on the gut microbiota development in offspring

This study systematically described the differences in both human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) and infant gut microbiota between mothers with gestional mellitus (GDM) and healthy mothers (H) over lactation. A total of 56 HMOs were identified, of which 49 found in H and 39 in GDM. Not only the number of both fucosylated and sialylated oligosaccharides but also the level of LNT and 3′-GL were higher in H than in GDM. Infants of GDM had higher abundance of pro-inflammatory microbiota such as Escherichia-Shigella and Parabacteroides and lower abundance of Bifidobacterium breve than infants of H. LNT, LNnT were found to be positively related with both Bifidobacterium breve in colostrum and Bifidobacterium longum in the mature milk of all mothers. In sum, the HMOs profile and gut microbiota differed between GDM and H; while the correlations between HMOs and gut microbiota of infants were the same in all mothers. These findings underscore the potential role of HMOs in shaping infant gut microbiota and emphasize the importance of targeted nutritional interventions.