Overview
- Researchers identified 332 distinct milk oligosaccharides in Atlantic gray seals, including 166 not previously reported.
- The largest structures reached 28 sugar units, exceeding the largest known human milk oligosaccharides.
- Composition shifted over the brief nursing period, with early α-gal prominence and later increases in sulfated sugars.
- The LacdiNAc motif inhibited biofilm formation by three pathogenic bacteria in vitro and modulated human white blood cell activity.
- Samples from five wild females on Scotland’s Isle of May were analyzed by mass spectrometry, and the team plans broader cross-species studies with potential biomedical applications that remain exploratory.