Polyamines in human and animal milk

Abstract

Polyamines are highly regulated polycations which are essentially involved in cell growth and differentiation. Polyamines in food significantly contribute to the polyamine body pool. Dietary polyamines exert various direct and indirect trophic effects on the rat's immature intestine and play an important role during intestinal maturation. Human milk and that of other mammalians contain relatively high levels of polyamines which are essential luminal growth and maturation factors. The polyamines spermidine and spermine as well as their diamine precursor putrescine are ubiquitous normal constituents of all prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells and are essentially involved in various processes of cell growth and differentiation (Pegg & McCann, 1982; Tabor & Tabor, 1984; Seiler, 1990).