Selenium content of milk and milk products of Turkey. II

Selenium content of 1028 milk and milk products of Turkey are presented in this study. The selenium content of human milk (colostrum, transitional, and mature milk), various kinds of milk [cow, sheep, goat, buffalo, paper boxes (3%, 1.5%, 0.012% fat), bottled milk, condensed milk (10% fat), mineral added milk (1.6%), and banana, strawberry, and chocolate milk] and milk products (kefir, yogurt, Ayran, various cheese, coffee cream, ice cream, butter, margarine, milk powder, and fruit yogurt) in Turkey were determined by a spectrofluorometric method. The selenium levels of cow milks collected from 57 cities in Turkey were also determined. Selenium levels in cow milk varied with geographical location in Turkey and were found to be lowest for Van and highest for Aksaray. The results [milk (cow, sheep, goat, buffalo and human) and milks products] were compared with literature data from different countries.     

Corticosteroid-binding proteins in human colostrum and milk and rat milk.

A corticosteroid-binding protein was detected in the whey of human colostrum and milk which resembles serum corticosteroid-binding globulin in certain respects: the equilibrium association constants for cortisol and progesterone binding and the apparent molecular size, as determined by Sephadex G-200 chromatography, were similar, and cortisol andd progesterone competed strongly for binding to the same site in each instance. Dexamethasone-binding activity could not be detected. The concentration of corticosteroid-binding protein in the colostrum obtained before parturition is about 0.1 muM; the concentration declines rapidly after parturition to about 0.01 muM. A corticosteroid-binding protein was found, also, in the whey of mature rat milk at levels of about 0.3 muM. This protein resembles rat serum corticosteroid-binding globulin: the equilibrium association constants for cortisol, corticosterone, and progesterone binding, and the apparent molecular size, as determined by Sephadex G-200 chromatography, were similar; the elution behavior of the respective proteins on anion exchange chromatography with DEAE-Sephadex A-50 was similar, also. Identity of the corticosteroid-binding proteins in whey with corticosteroid-binding globulin in serum is not presumed, however. Rat and human whey exhibited very little testosterone- or 17 beta-estradiol-binding activity. It is suggested the corticosteroid-binding proteins may play a significant physiological role in regulating the concentration of the bound and unbound forms of progesterone and cortisol in the fluids bathing the epithelial cells lining the mammary ducts and acini.     

Immunoregulation by breast milk cells.

Although B cells capable of synthesizing IgG and IgM have been identified in human milk, only IgA synthesis is measured in vitro. These data suggest that milk lymphocyte differentiation is a regulated process and that there may be a specific milk cell factor capable of stimulating differentiation of IgA-bearing B cells. To investigate this possibility lymphocyte/ macrophages from early (≤5 days) and late (≥8 days) milk were incubated and subsequently small aliquots of their cell-free culture media were added to peripheral blood lymphocyte cultures. The release of IgA, IgG, and IgM by the blood lymphocytes in culture was quantitated using double-antibody (Ab) competitive radioimmunoassays. The cell-free media from early (colostral) milk cell cultures significantly stimulated (P < 0.0001) IgA synthesis and had no effect on the production of IgG or IgM. There was no effect on immunoglobulin production when the milk cell supernate came from cells isolated from more mature milk. Therefore, it is postulated (i) that a soluble mediator(s) of immunologic regulation is released by human milk cells, (ii) that this factor(s) at least in part, explains the peculiar immunologic behavior of human milk cells in vitro, (iii) that this factor(s) is released in greater amounts by colostral cells than by cells in mature milk, and (iv) that human colostrum may play a role in affecting active local immunity in the gastrointestinal tract of the recipient newborn.     

Mitogen- and antigen-responsive milk lymphocytes.

Bovine and canine milk contained lymphocytes that responded to the nonspecific mitogens; phytohemagglutinin (PHA), concanavalin A (Con A), pokeweed mitogen (PWM) and gram negative bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS). It also was found that animals specifically sensitized with tuberculin or infected with infectious bovine rhinotracheitis virus (IBR) had antigen sensitive lymphocytes in their milk. In general, the responses of the milk lymphocytes from an individual animal were not identical to responses for the blood lymphocytes. Marked variation was observed in the daily responses of cells from milk samples from different quarters of the same animal, and between animals. The implications of antigen and mitogen responsive milk lymphocytes are discussed, in relation to their possible role in protective immunity.     

Haloperidol secreted in breast milk.

A nursing mother was given haloperidol 5 mg twice daily for puerperal psychosis and continued to breast feed under hospital supervision. Despite considerable amounts of haloperidol being secreted in the breast milk (up to 23.5 micrograms/l), the infant was apparently not sedated, fed well, and continued to thrive. The findings suggest that maternal ingestion of haloperidol for short periods has no deleterious effect on the infant''s development.     

Human milk lipases. I. Serum-stimulated lipase

Lipase activity has previously been demonstrated in human milk. This study shows that there are two separate triglyceride lipases in human milk. One is mainly in the skim milk and is stimulated by bile salts; the other is mainly in the cream and is inhibited by bile salts but stimulated by serum. The serum-stimulated lipase was purified by affinity chromatography on heparin-substituted Sepharose 4B. This gave a 9500-fold purification over whole milk. Although polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed that the enzyme was not purified to homogeneity, it had the highest specific activity so far reported for a human serum-stimulated lipase. The purified enzyme was free from bile salt-stimulated lipase activity and had the characteristics of other serum-stimulated or so-called lipoprotein lipases. Thus, it was almost completely inhibited by 1 M NaCl. The purified enzyme was active against tributyrylglycerol also in the absence of exogenous serum factors.