Expression of functional immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory factors in human milk

Human milk contains a wealth of components that can directly modulate the immunological development as well as the antimicrobial defenses of the recipient infant without inducing unwanted inflammatory responses. The presence of these immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory factors in human milk suggests a coordinated evolution of the development bf the immune system of the infant and the ability of the mother to produce and secrete immune factors from the mammary gland. This article reviews some of the major findings related to the presence and function of immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory factors in human milk.