{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,22]],"date-time":"2026-04-22T12:21:01Z","timestamp":1776860461457,"version":"3.51.2"},"reference-count":31,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2020,4,15]],"date-time":"2020-04-15T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1586908800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Nutrients"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Human colostrum (HC) is a rich source of immune mediators that play a role in immune defences of a newly born infant. The mediators include transforming growth factor \u03b2 (TGF-\u03b2) which exists in three isoforms that regulate cellular homeostasis and inflammation, can induce or suppress immune responses, limit T helper 1 cells (Th1) reactions and stimulate secretory immunoglobulin A (IgA) production. Human milk TGF-\u03b2 also decreases apoptosis of intestinal cells and suppresses macrophage cytokine expression. The aim of the study was to determine the concentration of TGF-\u03b22 in HC obtained from the mothers who delivered vaginally (VD) or by caesarean section (CS), and to compare the concentrations in HC from mothers who delivered at term (TB) or preterm (PB). In this study, 56% of preterm pregnancies were delivered via CS. The concentrations of TGF-\u03b22 were measured in HC from 299 women who delivered in the 1st Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Medical University of Warsaw: 192 (VD), 107 (CS), 251 (TB), and 48 (PB). The colostrum samples were collected within 5 days post-partum. TGF-\u03b22 levels in HC were measured by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test with the Quantikine ELISA Kit-Human TGF-\u03b22 (cat.no. SB250). Statistical significance between groups was calculated by the Student t-test using StatSoft Statistica 13 software. The mean TGF-\u03b22 concentration in patients who delivered at term or preterm were comparable. The levels of TGF-\u03b22 in HC were higher after preterm than term being 4648 vs. 3899 ng\/mL (p = 0.1244). The delivery via CS was associated with higher HC concentrations of TGF-\u03b22. The levels of TGF-\u03b22 were significantly higher in HC after CS than VD (7429 vs. 5240 ng\/mL; p = 0.0017). The data from this study suggest: caesarean section was associated with increased levels of TGF-\u03b22 in HC. The increased levels of TGF-\u03b22 in HC of women who delivered prematurely require further research. Early and exclusive breast-feeding by mothers after caesarean section and premature births with colostrum containing high TGF-\u03b22 levels may prevent the negative impact of pathogens which often colonize the gastrointestinal tract and may reduce the risk of chronic diseases in this group of patients.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/nu12041095","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2020,4,16]],"date-time":"2020-04-16T05:15:41Z","timestamp":1587014141000},"page":"1095","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":8,"title":["Does Caesarean Section or Preterm Delivery Influence TGF-\u03b22 Concentrations in Human Colostrum?"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"12","author":[{"given":"Bo\u017cena","family":"Kociszewska-Najman","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Neonatology, Medical University of Warsaw, 02-091 Warsaw, Poland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Elopy","family":"Sibanda","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Asthma, Allergy and Immune Dysfunction Clinic, Twin Palms Medical Centre, 113 Kwame Nkrumah Avenue, Harare, Zimbabwe"},{"name":"Department of Pathology, Medical School, National University of Science and Technology, PO Box AC 939, Ascot, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe"},{"name":"Division of Pathophysiology and Allergy Research, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Dorota M.","family":"Radomska-Le\u015bniewska","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Histology and Embryology, Centre of Biostructure Research, Medical University of Warsaw, 02-004 Warsaw, Poland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Karol","family":"Taradaj","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Students Scientific Research Group by Department of Neonatology, Medical University of Warsaw, 02-091 Warsaw, Poland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Patrycja","family":"Kocio\u0142ek","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Students Scientific Research Group by Department of Neonatology, Medical University of Warsaw, 02-091 Warsaw, Poland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Tomasz","family":"Ginda","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Students Scientific Research Group by Department of Neonatology, Medical University of Warsaw, 02-091 Warsaw, Poland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Monika","family":"Gruszfeld","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Neonatology, Medical University of Warsaw, 02-091 Warsaw, Poland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Ewa","family":"Jankowska-Steifer","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Histology and Embryology, Centre of Biostructure Research, Medical University of Warsaw, 02-004 Warsaw, Poland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9192-3323","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Bronis\u0142awa","family":"Pietrzak","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Medical University of Warsaw, 02-015 Warsaw, Poland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Miros\u0142aw","family":"Wielgo\u015b","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Medical University of Warsaw, 02-015 Warsaw, Poland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5371-8476","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jacek","family":"Malejczyk","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Histology and Embryology, Centre of Biostructure Research, Medical University of Warsaw, 02-004 Warsaw, Poland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2020,4,15]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","first-page":"179","article-title":"The history of infant nutrition","volume":"86","author":"Castilho","year":"2010","journal-title":"J. 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