Chutipongtanate S.Morrow A.L.Newburg D.S.Mahidol University2023-06-182023-06-182022-02-01Biomedicines Vol.10 No.2 (2022)https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/123456789/83840Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syn-drome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has become a global health crisis with more than four million deaths worldwide. A substantial number of COVID-19 survivors continue suffering from long-COVID syndrome, a long-term complication exhibiting chronic inflammation and gut dysbiosis. Much effort is being expended to improve therapeutic outcomes. Human milk oligosaccharides (hMOS) are non-digestible carbohydrates known to exert health benefits in breastfed infants by pre-venting infection, maintaining immune homeostasis and nurturing healthy gut microbiota. These beneficial effects suggest the hypothesis that hMOS might have applications in COVID-19 as receptor decoys, immunomodulators, mucosal signaling agents, and prebiotics. This review summarizes hMOS biogenesis and classification, describes the possible mechanisms of action of hMOS upon different phases of SARS-CoV-2 infection, and discusses the challenges and opportunities of hMOS research for clinical applications in COVID-19.Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular BiologyReviewSCOPUS10.3390/biomedicines100203462-s2.0-8512409604122279059