p-Lactose-N-neohexacose—the next generation human milk oligosaccharide for disease intervention CAS: 64331-48-2

p-Lacto-N-hexaose (pLNH) is an important functional oligosaccharide in human breast milk and is an extended member of the core structure of the lacto-N-hexaose series. It not only plays a key role in the natural ingredients of human milk, but also is a high-value raw material and tool molecule that has attracted much attention in the fields of nutritional science, infant and child health, intestinal microbiome research and biomedicine. With breakthroughs in synthetic biology and glycochemistry technology, pLNH can move from the laboratory to large-scale supply, opening up a new dimension for related research and product development.

Chemical Information

Chemical name: p-lactose-N-neohexose

Common name: p-Lacto-N-hexaose, pLNH

Chemical formula: C₄₀H₆₈N₂O₃₁

Molecular weight: 1072.96 g/mol

CAS number: 64331-48-2

Structural features

pLNH is a linear neutral oligosaccharide composed of six monosaccharide units connected by specific glycosidic bonds. Its structure can be expressed as:

Galβ1-3GlcNAcβ1-3Galβ1-4GlcNAcβ1-3Galβ1-4Glc

Its unique features are:

Highly conserved human milk oligosaccharide core skeleton: pLNH belongs to the lactose-N-new series of structures. This series is one of the most representative families of human milk oligosaccharides and has clear host specificity and biological function direction.

Terminal lactose structure: Its non-reducing end is a lactose unit (Galβ1-4Glc), which can specifically bind to a variety of intestinal epithelial cells and microbial surface receptors to mediate key biological recognition processes.

Modular N-acetyllactamine repeating unit: The structure contains two N-acetyllactosaminide (Gal-GlcNAc) repeats. This type of structure is a common motif for many cell surface glycoconjugates (such as glycoproteins, glycolipids), making it uniquely valuable in molecular simulations and signal regulation.

Excellent stability and solubility: As a neutral oligosaccharide, pLNH has good stability in acidic to neutral environments, high water solubility, and is easy to apply in formulated products.

Main applications and advantages

1. Key additives for infant formula and high-end nutritional products

Simulates human milk function: Human milk oligosaccharides are the third largest solid component in breast milk and are critical for immune development, cognitive development and intestinal health in infants and young children. As one of the important structures, pLNH can be added to infant formula to make up for the shortcomings of traditional formulas in oligosaccharide types and functions, and push the formula to a new stage of "breast milk similarity".

Promote the growth of probiotics: pLNH can be used as a high-quality prebiotic for specific probiotics (such as bifidobacteria), selectively promote the colonization of beneficial bacteria, inhibit pathogen adsorption, and build a healthy intestinal microecology.

Supports immune regulation: By interacting directly with immune cells or intestinal cells, pLNH helps gently train the immune system of infants and young children, reducing the risk of infection and allergies.

2. Cutting-edge tools for gut-microbiome research and intervention

Research on the mechanism of microbial symbiosis: pLNH is an ideal molecular probe for studying host-microbial sugar interactions, helping to reveal how human milk oligosaccharides shape the intestinal flora of newborns and provide a reference for the regulation of adult intestinal flora.

New targets for metabolic disease intervention: Recent studies have shown that specific human milk oligosaccharide structures can affect energy metabolism, insulin sensitivity and low-grade inflammation by regulating bacterial flora. As an oligosaccharide with a well-defined structure, pLNH is a candidate molecule for the development of microbial agents targeting metabolic diseases such as obesity and diabetes.

3. Potential carrier for the development of anti-infectious and immunomodulatory drugs

Anti-adhesion therapy: Many pathogens (such as bacteria, viruses) achieve adhesion and infection by recognizing sugar structures on the intestinal epithelial surface. pLNH can serve as a "molecular decoy" that binds to pathogens and blocks their interaction with host cells, thereby preventing or treating intestinal and systemic infections.

Development of immune modulators: pLNH can affect the function of immune cells such as dendritic cells and macrophages, exhibit anti-inflammatory or immune training effects, and provide new ideas for glycoimmunotherapy of inflammatory bowel disease, autoimmune diseases, etc.

4. Important reagents for glycobiology and diagnostic research and development

Glycochip and sensor construction: The clear structure and high purity of pLNH make it a high-quality raw material for preparing glycochips and developing tools for pathogen detection or antibody specificity analysis.

Study on the relationship between sugar structure and function: As an important representative of the new lactose-N-series, pLNH is a standard compound for studying biosynthetic pathways, glycosidase/glycosyltransferase specificity, and sugar-protein interaction mechanisms.

Conclusion

p-Lactose-N-neohexacose (pLNH) is not only an oligosaccharide raw material, but also a bridge connecting early life nutrition, intestinal microecological health and glycosylation precision medicine. From simulating breast milk to achieve next-generation nutritional breakthroughs for infants and young children, to decoding the microbiome to develop intervention strategies for chronic diseases, to using glycochemical logic to design new anti-infective drugs, the potential of pLNH is slowly unfolding in multiple frontiers.

The above information is provided by the editor of KASONS and is for scientific research only.