Background

After breast milk is ingested by the infant, human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) can tolerate the low pH of the gastrointestinal tract and can resist the degradation of the infant‘s pancreatic enzymes and brush border enzymes. Most of them reach the distal small intestine and colon in intact form and are excreted with the infant's feces, so the absorption rate of HMO is very low. Nevertheless, HMOs play an extremely important role in the growth and development of infants. A large number of studies have reported that HMOs play anti-bacterial, immunomodulatory, and anti-inflammatory effects. These mixed oligosaccharides have multiple functions, such as prebiotics, influence on the microbial composition of the gastrointestinal tract, prevent intestinal pathogen adhesion, and improve host defense capabilities.

HMOs are complex glycans formed from glucose (Glc), galactose (Gal), fucose (Fuc), N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) and N-acetylneuraminic acid (Neu5Ac). With a few exceptions, all HMOs are formed by reducing lactose core, which can be enzymatically extended through lacto-N-biose (Galβ1,3-GlcNAc, type 1 LacNAc) or N-acetyllactosamine (Gal-β1,4-GlcNAc, type 2 LacNAc) motifs. Further decoration of these structures can be achieved by adding Fuc residues in α1,2-, α1,3- and α1,4-linkages or adding Neu5Ac residues in α2,3- and α2,6-linkages, thereby providing g an array of Lewis structures and blood group antigens. The structure of HMO is complex, and there are multiple positional isomers and linkage isomers, which makes the separation and analysis of HMOs more complicated and difficult.

Fig.1 Generic building scheme of HMOs. (Ayechu-Muruzabal, et al., 2018)

Technologies for HMO Production

CD BioGlyco offers expertise and cutting-edge technologies for the efficient and scalable production of specific HMOs. This includes molecular biology tools, enzyme engineering, and microbial fermentation strategies optimized for various HMO structures, ensuring high-quality and pure compounds for research and development.

• Production of HMO by Biocatalytic Methods

Biocatalytic methods utilize enzymes as catalysts to efficiently synthesize HMOs through specific chemical reaction pathways. This method offers advantages such as high selectivity, mild reaction conditions, and environmental friendliness, enabling precise control over the structure and stereochemical properties of the products.

• Production of HMO by Chemoenzymatic Methods

CD BioGlyco utilizes chemical enzyme-catalyzed synthesis methods, combining the flexibility of chemical synthesis with the high efficiency and selectivity of enzyme-catalyzed synthesis to help clients synthesize a diverse range of HMOs.

• Production of HMO by Chemical Methods

The chemical method involves the direct synthesis of HMOs through chemical reactions, which usually involves multiple steps, including glycosylation and deprotection. We have a professional chemical synthesis team that helps clients synthesize target HMOs.

High-quality HMO Production to Meet Your Needs

• Neutral non-fucosylated HMO Production Service

This type of HMO has lactose as its basic structure and is not modified by fucose. It is mainly produced through natural or synthetic methods. We utilize advanced synthesis technology to ensure product purity and stability, thereby meeting the research needs of clients across various fields.

• Fucosylated HMO Production Service

Fucosylated HMOs are one of the most abundant types of HMOs in breast milk, accounting for approximately 35% to 50% of the total. Their core structure is lactose, which is linked to fucose via α-1,2 or α-1,3 bonds. We use cell factory methods and synthetic biology technologies to efficiently produce a variety of fucosylated HMOs to meet our clients' urgent demand for high-quality HMOs.

• Sialylated HMO Production Service

Sialylated HMO uses lactose as its backbone and is connected to sialic acid via α-2,3 or α-2,6 bonds to form an acidic structure. This type of HMO accounts for approximately 12% to 14% of breast milk and has unique physiological activity. We use biological fermentation and enzymatic synthesis technologies to produce a variety of sialylated HMOs to promote your biological research.

CD BioGlyco offers a variety of advanced separation technologies, such as ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC), high-performance anion-exchange chromatography (HPAEC), and hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) to help clients efficiently separate low-abundance HMOs. These tools accurately identify structural and chain isomers of HMOs, ensuring high purity and accuracy of separation results.

• By Methods

Our HMO analysis service delivers in-depth characterization of the human milk glycome, providing detailed insights into the composition and relative abundance of HMOs.

• By Substances

We offer specialized profiling for various HMO categories, including neutral fucosylated, neutral non-fucosylated, and sialylated HMOs, providing a complete glycomic fingerprint of your human milk samples.

• HMO Compositional Profiling

We offer comprehensive HMO composition analysis services to help clients gain a deeper understanding of the types and content of oligosaccharides in human milk and their changes during different stages of lactation.

• Using advanced technologies such as high-resolution MS and ion mobility spectrometry (IMS-MS), we accurately identify HMO compounds, including their structural isomers and core structures.
• We combine separation technology to achieve high-throughput, high-precision analysis of HMOs, providing reliable data support for research into their biological activity, metabolic pathways, and immune regulatory functions.

• HMO Structural Characterization

Workflow

Applications

• For biomarker discovery and validation, we assist researchers in identifying novel glycan signatures in human milk that correlate with maternal health, infant health trajectories, and susceptibility to infectious diseases.
• Our service is crucial for microbiome research, elucidating how specific HMOs selectively modulate the gut microbiota composition and function, contributing to a healthier microbiome.
• Our services can also be used in drug discovery and development to explore the therapeutic potential of individual HMOs or their derivatives as anti-infectives or immunomodulators.

Advantages of Us

• Our analytical capabilities are unparalleled, employing cutting-edge MS and advanced chromatographic separations to deliver ultra-high resolution and sensitivity in HMO profiling. This enables the precise identification and quantification of hundreds of distinct HMO structures, including subtle isomers critical for biological function.
• We leverage enzyme and microbial engineering techniques for efficient and scalable HMO biosynthesis, allowing us to produce even rare or challenging HMO structures with high purity.
• We have a standardized production process to provide clients with HMO production ranging from milligrams to grams, meeting your research needs in different fields.

Publication Data

Frequently Asked Questions

Customers can contact our employees directly and we will respond promptly. If you are interested in our services, please contact us for more detailed information.

Associated Services

• Human Milk Oligosaccharide Microarray: Evaluate the functional interactions of specific HMOs with receptors, antibodies, or pathogens, crucial for understanding their biological mechanisms.
• Custom Glycoconjugate Synthesis: If your research requires custom-synthesized glycoconjugates beyond natural HMOs, we leverage our expertise in glycan chemistry to produce bespoke structures.
• Metabolomics and Lipidomics Integration: For a more comprehensive biological understanding, consider integrating glycomics data with metabolomics or lipidomics analysis through our collaborative services.

CD BioGlyco is a leading international biotechnology company, focusing on glycobiology research for nearly 20 years. Our years of experience and expertise have won us praise from customers all over the world.