Human Milk Oligosaccharide LNnT Promotes Intestinal Epithelial Growth and Maturation During the Early Life of Infant Mice

Lacto-N-neotetraose (LNnT) is a prevalent neutral core human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) recognized for its numerous benefits to infant health. In infant formula, galactooligosaccharide (GOS) are frequently used as substitutes for HMOs. However, the regulatory roles of LNnT and GOS in early intestinal development are not yet fully understood. This study aims to elucidate the effects of LNnT and GOS on intestinal development during early life. Our findings show that administering LNnT or GOS significantly increased the spleen and liver indices of infant mice at postnatal day 21. Immunofluorescence and qPCR analysis showed that feeding LNnT significantly promoted the proliferation and differentiation of intestinal stem cells (ISCs) in the colon of infant mice at postnatal day 21, and increased the expression of differentiation markers of goblet cells, intestinal epithelial cells, Paneth cells, and intestinal endocrine cells. Conversely, feeding GOS had no significant effect on the proliferation and differentiation of ISCs. Furthermore, intestinal microbiota analysis showed that LNnT increased the microbiota associated with intestinal regeneration and ISCs proliferation and differentiation in infant mice at postnatal day 21. In conclusion, LNnT promoted ISCs proliferation and differentiation in the colon and alters the composition and function of the intestinal microbiota to support intestinal development in infant mice.