Nature-inspired oligosaccharides: plant and algal routes to human milk functionality.

Fuente: PubMed
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Autori principali: Cheong, Kit-Leong, Chen, Wenjie, Li, Jiajing, Zhong, Hai-Jing, Wang, Dongju, Zhong, Saiyi
Natura: Artículo científico
Lingua:en
Pubblicazione: Critical reviews in food science and nutrition 2026
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author Cheong, Kit-Leong
Chen, Wenjie
Li, Jiajing
Zhong, Hai-Jing
Wang, Dongju
Zhong, Saiyi
author_facet Cheong, Kit-Leong
Chen, Wenjie
Li, Jiajing
Zhong, Hai-Jing
Wang, Dongju
Zhong, Saiyi
Cheong, Kit-Leong
Chen, Wenjie
Li, Jiajing
Zhong, Hai-Jing
Wang, Dongju
Zhong, Saiyi
collection PubMed - marine biology
contents Nature-inspired oligosaccharides: plant and algal routes to human milk functionality. Cheong, Kit-Leong Chen, Wenjie Li, Jiajing Zhong, Hai-Jing Wang, Dongju Zhong, Saiyi Human milk oligosaccharides (HMO) shape early-life health by guiding microbiome assembly, fortifying the mucosal barrier, calibrating immune responses by enhancing secretory IgA at mucosal surfaces, blocking pathogen adhesion, and influencing the microbiota-gut-brain axis. Direct deployment of structurally diverse HMO at population scale remains constrained by manufacturing complexity and cost. This review examines "nature-inspired" oligosaccharides derived from plant and marine algal as affordable, scalable HMO mimetics, mapping chemistry to biology across five functional domains: microbiota architecture & metabolism, inhibition of pathogen adhesion via glycan decoy mechanisms, immune education, mucosal barrier enhancement and gut-brain regulation. We synthesize and critically appraise evidence on plant-derived fructo-, xylo-, and mannan-oligosaccharides, as well as on red-algal agaro-oligosaccharides and brown-algal fuco-oligosaccharides. Although these glycans do not fully replicate individual HMO structures, they can exhibit convergent mechanisms: selective fueling of saccharolytic consortia to produce functional metabolites (SCFAs), multivalent fucose-rich decoying of viral/bacterial adhesins, dendritic-cell/T- and B-cell tuning, epithelial junction and mucus programs, and neuroactive/metabolite signaling along the gut-brain axis. Framed as functional mimicry rather than strict structural emulation, plant and marine oligosaccharides emerge as promising "glycobiotics" to deliver HMO-like benefits across the lifespan, with opportunities for precision, personalized, and sustainable formulations guided by multi-omics and glycoinformatics.
format Artículo científico
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institution PubMed
language en
publishDate 2026
publisher Critical reviews in food science and nutrition
record_format pubmed
spellingShingle Nature-inspired oligosaccharides: plant and algal routes to human milk functionality.
Cheong, Kit-Leong
Chen, Wenjie
Li, Jiajing
Zhong, Hai-Jing
Wang, Dongju
Zhong, Saiyi
Nature-inspired oligosaccharides: plant and algal routes to human milk functionality. Cheong, Kit-Leong Chen, Wenjie Li, Jiajing Zhong, Hai-Jing Wang, Dongju Zhong, Saiyi Human milk oligosaccharides (HMO) shape early-life health by guiding microbiome assembly, fortifying the mucosal barrier, calibrating immune responses by enhancing secretory IgA at mucosal surfaces, blocking pathogen adhesion, and influencing the microbiota-gut-brain axis. Direct deployment of structurally diverse HMO at population scale remains constrained by manufacturing complexity and cost. This review examines "nature-inspired" oligosaccharides derived from plant and marine algal as affordable, scalable HMO mimetics, mapping chemistry to biology across five functional domains: microbiota architecture & metabolism, inhibition of pathogen adhesion via glycan decoy mechanisms, immune education, mucosal barrier enhancement and gut-brain regulation. We synthesize and critically appraise evidence on plant-derived fructo-, xylo-, and mannan-oligosaccharides, as well as on red-algal agaro-oligosaccharides and brown-algal fuco-oligosaccharides. Although these glycans do not fully replicate individual HMO structures, they can exhibit convergent mechanisms: selective fueling of saccharolytic consortia to produce functional metabolites (SCFAs), multivalent fucose-rich decoying of viral/bacterial adhesins, dendritic-cell/T- and B-cell tuning, epithelial junction and mucus programs, and neuroactive/metabolite signaling along the gut-brain axis. Framed as functional mimicry rather than strict structural emulation, plant and marine oligosaccharides emerge as promising "glycobiotics" to deliver HMO-like benefits across the lifespan, with opportunities for precision, personalized, and sustainable formulations guided by multi-omics and glycoinformatics.
title Nature-inspired oligosaccharides: plant and algal routes to human milk functionality.
url https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41489355/