Investigating milk-derived extracellular vesicles as mediators of maternal stress and environmental intervention.

ABSTRACT: Parental communication signals are transmitted through nursing and critically shape neurodevelopmental trajectories. Mirroring some well characterized effects of gestational challenges in rodents, maternal immune activation (MIA) during the lactational period disrupts maternal physiology, decreases lipid content in milk, and is associated with adverse neurobehavioral outcomes in offspring. This occurs without MIA significantly affecting maternal care. While gestational MIA models are responsive to environmental interventions, which beneficially alter maternal milk composition and associated offspring outcomes, the bioactive mediators in milk underlying resilience remain poorly understood. Milk-derived extracellular vesicles (MEVs) transport and deposit biologically active cargo, including

SUBMITTER: Martz J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12674164 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature