Polyphenols and Lactation: Molecular Evidence to Support the Use of Botanical Galactagogues

Botanicals and herbal supplements contain a diverse array of polyphenols that may affect mammary gland function and promote galactagogue activity. This scoping review is conducted to identify scientific literature elucidating how polyphenols affect mammary gland biology and cellular mechanisms critical for lactation. A literature search of PubMed and Medline reviews relevant studies in dairy animals, rodent models, and cultured mammary epithelial cells that are published from January 2010 until July 2023, to ascertain effects of polyphenols on mechanisms regulating milk production and composition. The PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses for Scoping Review) strategy is applied and 80 studies on polyphenols and their implications on milk production and composition are included in this review. Limited information delineating effects of polyphenols on the molecular pathways that affect lactation are found, although available information suggests modulation of Stat5 signaling/differentiation, Stat3 signaling/remodeling, mTOR and insulin signaling/energy production, and nuclear factor kappa beta (NFκβ) signaling/oxidative stress and inflammation may play roles. A profound lack of mechanistic information underscores the critical need for further research to understand the impact of botanical supplements and polyphenols on milk production and composition in humans to establish maternal nutritional guidelines to support lactation and breastfeeding goals.

Toxicokinetics and Biliary Excretion of N-Nitrosodiethylamine in Rat Supplemented with Low and High Dietary Proteins

Although biliary excretion is one of the biological elimination processes for foreign compounds, intake of high-protein diets was hypothesized to enhance their detoxification rates. Hence, this study investigates the effect of differential dietary protein intake on toxicokinetics and biliary excretion in rats following exposure to N-nitrosodiethylamine (NDEA) and aflatoxin B1 (AFB1). The animals were divided into five groups. Groups I and II were exposed to low and high dietary proteins following a single intraperitoneal dose of 43 µg NDEA/kg body weight, respectively. Groups III and IV were equally treated after a combined single intraperitoneal dose of 43 µg NDEA plus 0.022µg AFB_I/kg body weight, respectively. Group V was fed with low-protein diets following a single intraperitoneal dose of 0.022µg AFB1/kg body weight. The experiment lasted 35 days. The bile excreted higher amounts of unchanged NDEA than nitrite. The groups placed on high-protein diets (HPD = 64%) eliminated higher amounts of the unchanged NDEA and nitrite than the lower-protein diet (LPD = 8%) groups. Furthermore, the animals fed with high dietary protein (HPD = 64%) depicted short half-life with corresponding increase in elimination rate constant. The presence of AFB₁ heightened the excretion of bound NDEA with AFB₁ than NDEA only. Generally, this study advocates that N-nitrosodiethylamine and the corresponding metabolites follow hepatobiliary system potentiated by high intake of dietary proteins.