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Colostrum is the milk produced during the first few days after birth and contains high levels of immunoglobulins, antimicrobial peptides, and growth factors. Colostrum is important for supporting the growth, development, and immunologic defence of neonates. Colostrum is naturally packaged in a combination that helps prevent its destruction and maintain bioactivity until it reaches more distal gut regions and enables synergistic responses between protective and reparative agents present within it. Bovine colostrum been used for hundreds of years as a traditional or complementary therapy for a wide variety of ailments and in veterinary practice. Partly due to concerns about the side effects of standard Western medicines, there is interest in the use of natural-based products of which colostrum is a prime example. Numerous preclinical and clinical studies have demonstrated therapeutic benefits of bovine colostrum for a wide range of indications, including maintenance of wellbeing, treatment of medical conditions and for animal husbandry. Articles within this Special Issue of Nutrients cover the effects and use bovine colostrum and in this introductory article, we describe the main constituents, quality control and an overview of the use of bovine colostrum in health and disease.

We isolated several strains of human and animal origin, focusing on the genera Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium. Samples of cow colostrum, feces and saliva of calves and piglets, and infant feces were acquired, bacterial strains were isolated and identified, and twenty strains of lactobacilli and bifidobacteria were shortlisted for further in vitro analysis of adhesion capacity to human cells, surface hydrophobicity, and auto-aggregation. Adhesion capacity was evaluated using a mixture of Caco-2 and HT-29-MTX cells and hydrophobicity was measured using the microbial adhesion to the hydrocarbon method. Lactobacillus reuteri was the most frequently isolated species, followed by L. casei subsp. paracasei and L. gasseri; all strains were isolated from infant feces. Bifidobacteria were represented by the species B. longum (infant feces), and B. thermophilum and B. pseudolongum (calves, piglets). All twenty strains showed good adhesion capacities to the mixed cell culture (17.7–37.2%), particularly, L. reuteri isolates K7 and K14 (37.2% and 35.5%, respectively). In hydrophobicity and auto-aggregation assays, strain-specific differences irrespective of the origin or taxonomic group were observed. Hydrophobicity values varied considerably (from 6.1% to 87.4%), whereas auto-aggregation ability ranged from 21.7% to 69.7%. No relation was observed between hydrophobicity and adhesion capacity; instead, auto-aggregation was apparently related with adhesion.

Bovine colostrum (BC) is the initial mammary secretion after parturition, which is nature’s bountiful source consisting of nutritional and bioactive components present in a highly concentrated low-volume format. All mammalian newborns require colostrum to enhance physiological processes such as lifelong immunity, gastrointestinal development, and resistance to microbial infections. The genetic, environmental, and processing methods can all have an impact on the biochemical contents of BC and its supplements. BC and its derivatives have been intensively researched for their potential use in functional foods, medicines, and animal feed. Evidence from clinical studies suggests that BC products are well-tolerated, nontoxic, and safe for human ingestion. Functional foods, feed, and pharmaceutical formulations based on bovine colostrum are playing noteworthy roles in the development of innovative products for promoting health and the prevention of chronic illnesses. This systematic review sheds light on recent research on (a) the effects of processing techniques on BC components, (b) emerging techniques used in the isolation and identification of novel components, (c) BC-based functional foods for human consumption and animal feed supplements, and (d) the role of BC in current drug delivery, as well as future recommendations.

Colostrum is a nutritious milk synthesized by mammals during the postpartum period, and its rich bioactive components has led to a global increase in the consumption of bovine colostrum as a supplement. Bovine colostrum contains key components such as immunoglobulins, oligosaccharides, lactoferrin and lysozyme. It is a special supplement source due to its natural, high bioavailability and high concentrations of growth factors. Growth factors are critical to many physiological functions, and considering its presence in the colostrum, further research must be conducted on its safe application in many bodily disorders. Growth factors contribute to wound healing, muscle and bone development, and supporting growth in children. Additionally, the molecular mechanisms have been explored, highlighting the growth factors roles in cell proliferation, tissue regeneration, and the regulation of immune responses. These findings are crucial for understanding the potential health effects of bovine colostrum, ensuring its safe use, and forming a basis for future clinical applications. This review article examines the growth factors concentration in bovine colostrum, their benefits, clinical studies, and molecular mechanisms.

Abstract Background Brix refractometry can be used to assess colostral immunoglobulin G (IgG) concentration, but studies identifying Brix percentages to detect high- and low-IgG colostrum are lacking for beef cows and interlaboratory agreement is unknown. Objectives Evaluate Brix refractometer performance and interlaboratory agreement for assessing beef cow colostrum IgG concentration, including determination of thresholds to identify colostrum containing IgG concentrations <100 g/L and ≥150 g/L. Animals Beef cows (n = 416) from 11 cow-calf operations in Alberta, Canada. Methods Colostral IgG concentrations were measured using radial immunodiffusion (RID) and estimated by Brix refractometry for this retrospective study. Spearman correlation coefficients were assessed between RID and Brix refractometry. Likelihood ratios and misclassification cost-term analysis were used to determine optimal Brix percentages for detecting colostrum containing IgG concentrations <100 g/L and ≥150 g/L. Concordance correlation coefficient (CCC) and Bland-Altman analyses were performed for Brix percentages obtained at 3 different laboratories. Results Brix percentages obtained at 3 laboratories were positively correlated with IgG results (r = 0.72, 0.68, and 0.76, respectively). Colostrum Brix percentages of <24% and ≥30% were optimal for indicating IgG concentrations of <100 g/L and ≥150 g/L, respectively. Interlaboratory agreement was substantial, with CCC ranging from 0.89 to 0.96 and Bland-Altman analysis showing small mean differences (−1.2% to 0.09% Brix) and narrow limits of agreements (−4.8% to 2.4% Brix) among laboratories. Conclusions and Clinical Importance Brix refractometry shows good potential for reliably estimating IgG concentrations in beef cow colostrum across multiple laboratories and can be recommended to aid colostrum management decisions on farms.

There is increasing awareness that a broad range of gastrointestinal diseases, and some systemic diseases, are characterized by failure of the mucosal barrier. Bovine colostrum is a complex biological fluid replete with growth factors, nutrients, hormones, and paracrine factors which have a range of properties likely to contribute to mucosal healing in a wide range of infective, inflammatory, and injury conditions. In this review, we describe the anatomy and physiology of the intestinal barrier and how it may fail. We survey selected diseases in which disordered barrier function contributes to disease pathogenesis or progression, and review the evidence for or against efficacy of bovine colostrum in management. These disorders include enteropathy due to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), necrotizing enterocolitis, infectious diarrhea, intestinal failure, and damage due to cancer therapy. In animal models, bovine colostrum benefits NSAID enteropathy, IBD, and intestinal failure. In human trials, there is substantial evidence of efficacy of bovine colostrum in inflammatory bowel disease and in infectious diarrhea. Given the robust scientific rationale for using bovine colostrum as a promoter of mucosal healing, further work is needed to define its role in therapy.

Background Calves rely on the passive transfer with immunoglobulins derived from colostrum. Currently, there is a lack of knowledge on colostrum management practices and colostrum quality on small scale family-owned dairy farms in Austria. The objectives of this study were to describe factors that are associated with immunoglobulin, protein, fat and lactose concentrations in dairy cow colostrum from the federal state of Salzburg. Therefore, an online questionnaire was designed to gather information on general farm characteristics. Further, the farmers collected individual colostrum samples and completed a detailed accompanying questionnaire for each sample. Immunoglobulin levels were determined by using a Brix refractometer and protein, fat and lactose by standardized laboratory methods. Linear mixed effect models were built to test factors associated with colostrum immunoglobulin, fat, protein and lactose concentrations. Results In total, 1,050 colostrum samples from 72 dairy farms were collected. The number of calvings per year was distributed as follows: ≤10 calvings: 8.3% of the farms, 11 to 20: 31.9%, 21 to 30: 29.2%, 31 to 40: 15.3% and ≥ 41 calvings: 15.3%. Overall, the median Brix value was 22.0% (7.3–36.1%). The number of samples with good and poor-quality colostrum was 517 and 528, respectively. Cow-level factors significantly affecting colostrum Brix% were parity, calving season, ante partum colostrum leakage, time lag between parturition and colostrum collection. In total, a subset of 307 colostrum samples from 39 farms from pure-breed dual-purpose Simmental cows were further analysed for protein, fat and lactose concentration. The median concentration for fat was 5.1% (0.5–18.5%), protein 14.6% (4.2–27.5%) and lactose 2.3% (0.2–5.0%). The cow-level factors affecting protein concentration were similar to the factors influencing Brix%. Fat concentration was influenced by the time lag between calving and colostrum collection and by parity. Conclusions The present study confirmed the factors, which are currently known to have an impact on colostrum quality. This was the first large scale approach in the federal state of Salzburg to survey colostrum management including colostrum sample collection. The range of colostrum quality was wide (7.3% Brix to 36.1% Brix) therefore many calves will be at risk of receiving poor quality colostrum as defined by a Brix of ≤ 22%.

For very preterm infants, human milk is often fortified with formula products based on processed bovine milk. Intact bovine colostrum (BC), rich in anti-inflammatory milk factors, is considered an alternative. We investigated if BC affects anti-inflammatory/T 2 immunity and infection risk in very preterm infants. For a secondary analysis of a multicenter, randomized controlled trial (NCT03537365), very preterm infants (26-31 weeks gestation, 23% small for gestational age, SGA) were randomized to receive BC (ColoDan, Biofiber, Denmark, n = 113) or conventional fortifier (PreNAN, Nestlé, Switzerland, n = 116). Infection was defined as antibiotic treatment for five or more consecutive days and 29 cytokines/chemokines were measured in plasma before and after start of fortification. In general, infection risk after start of fortification was associated with low gestational age, SGA status and antibiotics use prior to fortification. Adjusted for confounders, infants fortified with BC showed more infection episodes (20 vs 12%, P < 0.05) and higher cumulative infection risk (hazard ratio, HR 1.9, P = 0.06), particularly for SGA infants (HR 3.6, P < 0.05). Additionally, BC-fortified infants had higher levels of T 2-related cytokines/chemokines (IL-10, MDC, MCP4) and reduced levels of cytokines related to T 1/T 17-responses (IL-15, IL-17, GM-CSF). The differences were most pronounced in SGA infants, displaying higher levels of T 2-related IL-4, IL-6, and IL-13, and lower interferon-γ and IL-1α levels in the BC group. Infants fortified with BC displayed a delayed shift from T 2- to T 1-biased systemic immunity, notably in SGA infants, possibly influenced by multiple confounding factors, alongside elevated antibiotic use, suggesting increased susceptibility to infection.

Colostrum is the first secretion of mammalian glands during the early period after birth giving. Its components are biologically active and have beneficial effects on new-born growth and well-being. Bovine colostrum has the highest concentration of these substances and its supplementation or application may provide health benefits. This systematic review was conducted to update current knowledge on bovine colostrum effects including all administration routes on healthy and sick subjects. Full texts or abstracts of twenty-eight papers as reports of systematic reviews, randomized controlled trials, observational studies and case series were included after searches in Medline, Embase, Cochrane Library and Cinahl databases. The full texts of selected studies were assessed for quality using validated tools and their results were summarized in different categories. Studies were highly heterogeneous as regards to population, intervention, outcome and risk of bias. Bovine colostrum topical application was shown effective on vaginal dryness related symptoms limitation. Its use as food supplement showed interesting effects preventing upper respiratory illness in sportsmen, modulating immune system response and reducing intestinal permeability in healthy and sick subjects. Conflicting results were provided in pediatric population and little evidence is available on its use with older adults. Further studies are mandatory to better understand all factors influencing its activity.

Bovine colostrum (BC), the first milk produced from cows after parturition, is increasingly used as a nutritional supplement to promote gut function and health in other species, including humans. The high levels of whey and casein proteins, immunoglobulins (Igs), and other milk bioactives in BC are adapted to meet the needs of newborn calves. However, BC supplementation may improve health outcomes across other species, especially when immune and gut functions are immature in early life. We provide a review of BC composition and its effects in infants and children in health and selected diseases (diarrhea, infection, growth-failure, preterm birth, necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), short-bowel syndrome, and mucositis). Human trials and animal studies (mainly in piglets) are reviewed to assess the scientific evidence of whether BC is a safe and effective antimicrobial and immunomodulatory nutritional supplement that reduces clinical complications related to preterm birth, infections, and gut disorders. Studies in infants and animals suggest that BC should be supplemented at an optimal age, time, and level to be both safe and effective. Exclusive BC feeding is not recommended for infants because of nutritional imbalances relative to human milk. On the other hand, adverse effects, including allergies and intolerance, appear unlikely when BC is provided as a supplement within normal nutrition guidelines for infants and children. Larger clinical trials in infant populations are needed to provide more evidence of health benefits when patients are supplemented with BC in addition to human milk or formula. Igs and other bioactive factors in BC may work in synergy, making it critical to preserve bioactivity with gentle processing and pasteurization methods. BC has the potential to become a safe and effective nutritional supplement for several pediatric subpopulations.