Diet-Induced Changes in Spectrum Patterns of Serum Gangliosides in 6-Month-Old Infants

Abstract

Human milk contains higher levels of gangliosides than infant formula. Gangliosides play a role in neuronal growth, migration and maturation, sinaptogenesis, and myelination. Seven of gangliosides (GM1, GM2, GM3, GD3, GD1a, GD1b, and GT1b) are dominant with their own specific functions. Thus, the aim of the study was to know the effects of add on diet gangliosides and to compare the spectrum patterns of those seven classes of serum gangliosides in infants consuming standard infant formula (IF group), ganglioside-fortified infant formula (GA group) and exclusive breastfeeding (BF group). This study used liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC-MS) method. This was a prospective study involving 30 infants in IF group, 29 in GA group and 32 in BF group. Subject recruitment was performed using consecutive admission from March 2008 to February 2009 in Bandung. Statistical analyses using Wilcoxon test showed that there was a significant change in the spectrum patterns of GD3, GM1, GM2 and GT1b in IF group; of GD1a, GM1 and GM2 in GA group and of GD1a, GD1b, GM1 and GM3 in BF group. Conclusions, add on diet gangliosides extend spectrum patterns of gangliosides especially in seven of them, i.e. GM1, GM2, GM3, GD3, GD1a, GD1b, and GT1b, in 6-month old infants.

Keywords

• Gangliosides
• human milk
• infants
• infant formula
• LC-MS