REVIEW article

Front. Immunol.

Sec. Nutritional Immunology

Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1572787

This article is part of the Research TopicHuman Milk, Nutrition and Infant Development, Volume IIView all 6 articles

The Potential Immunomodulatory Role of Human Milk Oligosaccharides in Prevention of Viral Infections and Development of Asthma in Early Life

Provisionally accepted
  • 1Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
  • 2Danone Nutricia Research (Netherlands), Utrecht, Netherlands, Netherlands

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

Around 10% of the Western population is diagnosed with asthma, and this percentage is only expected to increase in the coming years. Allergic asthma often develops during early infancy and is characterized by chronic pulmonary type 2 inflammation and airway hyperresponsiveness. Severe viral infections in early life are thought to be a risk factor for allergic asthma. The most common causes of severe viral infections in early life are respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and rhinovirus (RV). How viral infections in early life are related to the later development of asthma is not yet known, but the pathophysiology of RSV/RV infection and asthma overlap in several areas. RSV and RV are both able to induce type 2 immunity which may contribute to the development of allergic asthma which is driven by type 2 responses against airborne allergens such as house dust mites. In early life, infants' intestines, microbiome and immune function need to mature, and breastfeeding helps to facilitate these major steps in development. Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) are the third largest component of human milk and have been shown to promote the development and function of the infant microbiome and may have a beneficial effect on immune maturation by promoting type 1 and regulatory immune responses. In addition, they can stimulate epithelial barrier integrity and directly interact with glycan receptors. Certain bacteria in the gut can metabolize HMOs into short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), which can exert beneficial anti-inflammatory effects locally in the gut or systemically and help maintain barrier properties and immune homeostasis. HMOs and SCFA could have protective effects on both the immune pathways in allergic asthma and viral infections. This review describes the molecular and immunomodulatory mechanisms by which different HMOs and SCFA may help defend against viral infections and also protect against allergic asthma.

Keywords: Asthma, viral infections, human milk oligosaccharides, Short Chain Fatty Acids, mucosal immunity

Received: 07 Feb 2025; Accepted: 09 Jun 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Rijks, Zuurveld, Garssen, Kostadinova and Willemsen. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence:
Vera Rijks, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
Linette E.M. Willemsen, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands

Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.