Research Progress on the Molecular Mechanism of the Utilization of Human Milk Oligosaccharides in Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis and Its Probiotic Effect

Human milk is the most important source of nutrition in early infancy, which can meet all the nutritional needs in the first 6 months after birth. It contains many bioactive substances that can regulate the intestinal flora, promote the development of the immune system, and enhance the intestinal barrier. Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) are one of the active substances in human milk. They cannot be directly digested and absorbed by infants, but can be used as a prebiotic to stimulate the establishment and evolution of the gut microbiota. Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis is a dominant microorganism in the gut of breastfed infants, which has almost all gene clusters required for metabolizing the major HMOs, and its interaction with HMOs plays a key role in the early intestinal health of infants. This review summarizes the composition and structure of HMOs, describes the utilization of HMOs by B. longum subsp. infantis and summarizes the beneficial effects B. longum subsp. infantis exerts in infants by metabolizing HMOs, which will lay the foundation for exploring the interaction mechanism between HMOs and the gut microbiota, as well as its role in infant intestinal development and maturation.