Grey seal pups have only days to prepare for life in cold North Atlantic waters, and their mothers’ milk plays a pivotal role in that short window.
According to new research published in Nature Communications scientists followed the same group of seals throughout their brief nursing period, a span of just over two weeks.
During those first days, the milk was packed with fast-acting sugars thought to help newborns fend off early threats.
As the pups grew, the composition shifted toward larger and more elaborate sugar structures, a compressed version of the gradual changes also seen in human milk.
Also read: How to reduce snoring without changing your sleep position
Many new sugar-types
The research team, led by Daniel Bojar of the University of Gothenburg, used advanced mass spectrometry to catalogue the full range of sugars present.
Their analysis reported “hundreds” of distinct molecules, more than typically documented in any domestic mammal and surpassing what is known from human milk.
Bojar noted that many of these sugars carried rare structural features, from long repeating chains to sulfate groups that can influence immune responses.
Several of the newly identified molecules were previously unknown in scientific literature.
Also read: How to keep your herbs fresh for longer
To probe their function, the scientists tested selected sugars on human immune cells.
The cells reacted differently depending on subtle structural differences, suggesting that these molecules may help seal pups regulate inflammation and prepare for environmental stress.
Natural molecules with potential
The study also found that some sugars interfered with biofilm formation in bacteria such as staphylococci and Klebsiella, a trait that could eventually inspire new antimicrobial strategies.
Researchers involved in the project say they have analyzed milk from ten wild mammals so far and expect to uncover more unusual molecules as their work continues.
Also read: Dual-cell transplant shows unexpected promise in stopping type 1 diabetes
The findings highlight how little is known about the chemistry of wild species, and how much biological innovation may still be hidden in places rarely examined.
Sources: Earth.com, and Nature Communications.
Also read: Fish-inspired molecule could help protect cancer drugs