Babies that are born extremely preterm are at risk for adverse brain development. In our latest publication, “Human milk oligosaccharides improve white matter and interneuron development in a double-hit rat model for preterm brain injury” published in Neuropharmacology, we show that specialized fibers in human milk, “human milk oligosaccharides” (HMOs), may help reduce injury and support healthier brain development in a rodent model. Injured rat pups that were treated with HMOs had more myelin and less interneuron loss compared to those treated with only water, which was potentially mediated by alterations in microglial activation and gut microbiota after the treatment. The results of this study indicate that human milk oligosaccharides represent a promising therapeutic strategy for preterm babies. Read the full paper here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropharm.2025.110507
