Chronic low-grade
inflammation can be associated with
obesity or subclinical
mastitis (SCM), which is associated with poor infant growth in low- to middle-income country settings. It is unknown what physiological mechanisms are involved in low milk supply, but our research group has shown that mothers with low milk supply have higher inflammatory markers. Studies investigating
oxylipin signaling have the potential to help explain mechanisms that mediate the impacts of
inflammation on milk production. Animal studies have reported various elevated
oxylipins during postpartum
inflammation,
mastitis, and mammary involution in ruminant models. Several investigations have quantified
oxylipins in human milk, but very few studies have reported circulating
oxylipin concentrations during lactation. In addition, there are technical considerations that must be addressed when reporting
oxylipin concentrations in human milk. First, the majority of milk
oxylipins are esterified in the
triglyceride pool, which is not routinely measured. Second, total milk fat should be considered as a covariate when using milk
oxylipins to predict outcomes. Finally, storage and handling conditions of milk samples must be carefully controlled to ensure accurate milk
oxylipin quantitation, which may be affected by highly active lipases in human milk.