Quantitative analysis of plasmalogens in Japanese maternal breast milk by high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

Plasmalogens (Pls), a subclass of glycerophospholipids, are bioactive lipids that exert neuroprotective functions by mitigating oxidative stress and regulating neuroinflammatory signaling. The depletion of Pls has been strongly implicated in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorders. However, data on the systematic quantification of Pls in dietary and biological sources remain limited. in this study, we comprehensively profiled Pls species in the breast milk of 159 Japanese mothers by LC-MS/MS. Pls concentrations varied significantly with dietary and sociodemographic factors, including age at pregnancy, dietary composition, alcohol intake, gestational duration, and household income. Notably, younger mothers exhibited significantly higher levels of C18-acyl chain Pls species compared with older mothers. Pls concentrations were positively correlated with gestational period, while higher fish consumption increased ω-3 Pls species and decreased ω-6 Pls species in breast milk. This is the first comprehensive study to characterize the relationship between maternal lifestyle determinants and Pls composition in Japanese breast milk.