Abstract
During pregnancy and lactation, considerable factors that affect the maternal microbiome are associated with the advancement of numerous diseases, which can potentially affect offspring health. Probiotics have shown potential for the maintenance of microbiota homeostasis of mothers in this period. The specific objective of this study was to investigate whether the application of Akkermansia muciniphila (A. muciniphila) during pregnancy and lactation impacts maternal and offspring health. Here we show that dams fed with A. muciniphila is safe, enhances the intestinal barrier and alters gut microbiota composition and diversity at the end of lactation, including the significant enrichment of A. muciniphila and Ruminococcus_1 in offspring from probiotic-fed dams. However, compared with the control group, the fecal metabolites of the A. muciniphila group only changed slightly. Additionally, A. muciniphila supplementation did not significantly increase the abundance of A. muciniphila in the fecal microbiota of offspring mice. Compared with the control group, the fecal metabolic profile of three-week-old offspring of mice fed with A. muciniphila were significantly changed, containing the D-glutamine and D-glutamate metabolism pathways. These results provided evidence that A. muciniphila supplementation in mice during pregnancy and lactation is safe and seemed to have a more beneficial effect on dams. In the future, using probiotics to regulate maternal microbiomes during pregnancy and lactation could be shown to have a more lasting and beneficial effect.
Highlights
Knowledge on gut microbiota has greatly expanded over the last few years, and growing evidence from various epidemiological studies suggests that allergy, obesity, metabolic syndrome, and other chronic diseases in adulthood are related to the disruption of gut microbiota early in life
A. muciniphila supplementation had no adverse effects on gestational outcomes
All female mice delivered naturally, and the number of offspring was not affected by A. muciniphila supplementation (Figure 1D)
Summary
Knowledge on gut microbiota has greatly expanded over the last few years, and growing evidence from various epidemiological studies suggests that allergy, obesity, metabolic syndrome, and other chronic diseases in adulthood are related to the disruption of gut microbiota early in life. A recent study showed that children who were prescribed antibiotics early in life (within the first 2 years) were at increased risk of developing conditions such as asthma in the future [1]. The maternal microbiome during pregnancy or lactation is the dominant force affecting the gut microbiota of the offspring. Population-based cohort studies showed that the alpha diversity of the maternal fecal microbiota during the third trimester of pregnancy can predict the brain and behavioral development of the child at 2 years of age [6]. A new study from an Australian prebirth cohort has suggested a notable correlation between the existence of Prevotella copri in mothers’ gut during pregnancy and the risk of allergic disease in their offspring. Some probiotics or mixed probiotics can be used to interfere with the microbiota of mothers, which may have beneficial effects on the offspring
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