Table 2.

Bioactive molecules and identified microbes in breast milk.

Category	Specific type
Identified microbes	Staphylococci, Streptococci, Corynebacteria, Propionibacteria, Lactobacillus spp., Bifidobacterium spp.
Anti-microbials	Immunoglobulins- Secretory IgA, IgM, IgG, lactoferrin, lactadherin/MFG E8, Lysozyme, complement C3, antiviral mucins—MUC1, MUC4
Digestive enzymes	Amylase, Bile acid-stimulating esterase, bile acid-stimulating lipases, lipoprotein lipase
Growth factors	Epidermal growth factor (EGF), nerve growth factor (NGF), insulin-like growth factor (IGF), transforming growth factor (TGF), taurine, polyamines, heparin-binding EGF like growth factor (HB-EGF), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), erythropoietin
Transporters	Lactoferrin, folate binder, cobalamin binder, IGF binder, thyroxine binder, corticosteroid binder
Hormones	Calcitonin, somatostatin, adiponectin, leptin, ghrelin
Oligosaccharides and glycans	Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs), gangliosides, glycosaminoglycans
Cytokines, chemokines, and anti-inflammatory factors	Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β), prostaglandins, 1-antichymotrypsin, 1-antitrypsin, platelet-activating factor: acetyl hydrolase, interleukins-IL-6, IL-7, IL-8, IL-10 chemokines-granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF), macrophage migratory inhibitory factor (MIF)