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Research Progress on the Modulation of Lipid Metabolism by Bovine Milk Phospholipids
- ZHOU Lihong, ZHANG Tong, HUANG Jinlian
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2025, 48(4):
70-59.
DOI: 10.7506/rykxyjs1671-5187-20250320-020
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Milk phospholipids have become a research hotspot due to their unique biological activity, especially significant potential in regulating liver lipid metabolism, body fat distribution, and intestinal microbiota balance. This article provides a systematic review of their classification, composition, structural characteristics and regulatory mechanisms on lipid metabolism, highlighting their potential application value. Milk phospholipids are mainly derived from milk fat globules and nanovesicles, the main components being glycerophospholipids and sphingophospholipids. Their contents and composition are both influenced by cow breeds, lactation stages, and processing methods. They are amphiphilic, can form a stable emulsion system, and have multiple beneficial functions such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and promoting neural development. Cow’s milk phospholipids regulate liver lipid metabolism through the following pathways: 1) inhibiting key enzymes involved in lipid synthesis (such as acetyl coenzyme A carboxylase), 2) activating lipid degradation pathways (such as peroxisome proliferators-activated receptor α-mediated β-oxidation), 3) regulating lipid transport related genes (such as SR-BI), and 4) indirectly regulating the release of free fatty acids through the aggregation and digestion characteristics of fat globules. Bovine milk phospholipids regulate body fat in both a dose- and model-dependent manner. Supplementation with milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) during childhood can prevent adult body fat accumulation. In the context of a high-fat diet, MFGM supplementation in adults may increase visceral fat content, but enhance energy expenditure and alleviate obesity by promoting the browning of white adipose. The interaction of MFGM with the gut microbiota is one of its important mechanisms, which improves intestinal barrier function, reduces the risk of endotoxemia, and indirectly regulates metabolic inflammation and lipid homeostasis by increasing the abundance of beneficial bacteria such as Bifidobacterium and Bacteroidetes and inhibiting Gram-negative bacteria. Scavenger receptor class B type I (SR-BI) may play a central role in the bioactivities of bovine milk phospholipids. It activates the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase protein kinase B signaling pathway by binding to anionic phospholipids, regulating lipid uptake and storage genes. High-fat diet up-regulates SR-BI expression, promoting lipid deposition. In this context, bovine milk phospholipids may exacerbate fat accumulation, reflecting the complexity of their mechanism of action. Although the effect of bovine milk phospholipids is significant in animal models, their clinical translation faces challenges such as lack of standardization of the dose-response relationship and physiological differences between humans and animals. Future research needs to combine multi-omics techniques and clinical trials to explore personalized intervention strategies to develop functional foods based on cow’s milk phospholipids aiming to address the global burden of metabolic diseases such as obesity and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. In summary, bovine milk phospholipids regulate lipid metabolism through multiple targets and mechanisms, showing broad application prospects. However, their mechanisms of action and clinical application need further investigation.
