Unique enzyme activity of Bifidobacterium infantis EVC001 in the intestinal tract of infants

Evolve BioSystems today announced new data published this week in the Journal of Functional Foods, showing for the first time that breastfed infants are feeding active Bifidobacterium long subsp. Compared to matched controls, infantile EVC001 (Bifidobacterium infantis EVC001) experienced improved metabolism of protein-bound glycans from human milk.

Although EndoBI-1 is a unique enzyme of Bifidobacterium infantis, it has previously been shown to release N-glycans in natural galactosin in vitro. This is the first clinical trial in breastfed infants fed infant EVC001. Studies to prove this activity. These findings suggest that N-glycans from milk glycoprotein, whether of human or bovine origin, may contribute to the colonization of Bifidobacterium infantis EVC001 in the intestines of infants.

B. infantis is an infant's adaptive intestinal bacterium, which is uniquely able to dominate the infant's intestines during exclusive breastfeeding, mainly by fully demonstrating the use of free human milk oligosaccharides (HMO). This key infant intestinal symbiont has been shown to produce a protective environment in the infant’s intestine through pathogen inhibition in the first few months of life, resulting in reduced virulence factors, reduced antibiotic resistance genes abundance, and reduced colonic mucin degradation (1- 4). These new data show that B. infantis can also selectively release protein-bound N-glycans from human lactoprotein in vivo. In particular, it is known that N-glycans derived from lactoferrin contribute to the antimicrobial activity of the protein, and other glycans released by the enzyme may play an additional role in supporting the growth of Bifidobacterium infantis EVC001 in the body.

"We are very pleased to see that this unique enzymatic activity of Bifidobacterium infantis in early in vitro studies has now been confirmed in breastfed infants," said Dr. Steven Frese, director of microbiology at Evolve BioSystems and corresponding author of the study. "The important role and mechanism of this key infant gut bacteria in early life is becoming clearer, but published evidence suggests that the prevalence of infant bifidobacteria has been rapidly declining in infants born in the United States over the past 100 years ( 5). Therefore, as we continue to develop effective methods to solve the intestinal dysbiosis of infants, these data are encouraging. Thanks to the international cooperation with scientists from Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University in Turkey, this work is indeed possible. An extensive appraisal was carried out.