Human milk whey glycoprotein N-glycans varied greatly among different maternal secretor status

Human milk glycans are complex carbohydrates , which play a pivotal role in infant health and neonatal development . Maternal secretor status is known to affect free oligosaccharides in milk. Here, the milk N -glycome of secretor (Se+) and nonsecretor (Se−) individuals was qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed by hydrophilic interaction chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry. The total glycosylation , fucosylation , and sialylation of N -glycans was three times higher in the Se+ group compared to the Se− group ( p  < 0.001) per equal volume of milk. Importantly, 52 out of 63 N -glycans—including the eight most abundant ones—differed greatly between Se+ and Se− individuals ( p  < 0.05). Moreover, nine N -glycans (H5N3F1, H6N3, H3N5F1, H5N5F1, H5N5F1S1, H5N4F3S1, H6N4F2S1, H6N5F4S1, and H8N7S1) were >10 times more abundant in Se+ milk than in Se− milk. These findings lay a glycomics-basis for designing personalized nutrition supplements for infants.