Abstract
BackgroundWe aimed to investigate the effect of early-life diverse microbial exposures on gut microbial colonization in an OVA-induced asthma model in BALB/c mice.MethodsBALB/c mice were divided into 4 groups: A, offsprings were kept in a SPF environment during fetal, lactation, and childhood periods; B, offsprings were kept in the SPF environment during fetal and lactation periods, and kept in the general environment during childhood; C, offsprings were kept in the SPF environment only during fetal period, and then kept in the general environment; and D, offsprings were kept in the general environment during whole periods. The diversity of intestinal flora was analyzed using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis. Mice were sensitized with OVA to establish an animal model of asthma. Then asthma-related inflammatory cytokines and histological analysis were performed.ResultsThe diversity of intestinal microflora in group D was significantly higher than groups A, B and C at three days and three weeks after birth, and the diversity of intestinal microflora in groups C and D were significantly higher than groups A and B at five weeks after birth. The pathologic scores of OVA-induced asthmatic mice in group D were significantly lower than group A, and serum IFN-γ levels and the IFN-γ/IL-4 ratio in group D were significantly higher than group A.ConclusionsExposure to diverse microbial environments in early life affects gut microbial colonization in BALB/c mice. The diversity of the intestinal flora in early life may prevent airway inflammation in asthma via regulating the Th1/Th2 balance.
Highlights
We aimed to investigate the effect of early-life diverse microbial exposures on gut microbial colonization in an OVA-induced asthma model in BALB/c mice
Male and female mice were caged 2:1 for conception. Parents and their offsprings that reared in either a specific pathogen-free (SPF) environment or a general environment were divided into 4 groups according to different time periods, including the fetal period, lactation and childhood, as follows: Group A, offsprings were kept in a SPF environment during the fetal, lactation, and childhood time periods; Group B, offsprings were kept in the SPF environment during the fetal and lactation time periods, and were kept in the general environment during childhood; Group C, offsprings were kept in the SPF environment during the fetal period, and kept in the general environment during the lactation and childhood time periods; and Group D, offsprings were kept in the general environment during the fetal, lactation, and childhood time periods
Comparison of the intestinal flora of BALB/c mice in each group at different time period As shown in Fig. 1, the number of different stripes in the Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) profiles represented the diversity of the intestinal flora of mice in each group at different time period
Summary
We aimed to investigate the effect of early-life diverse microbial exposures on gut microbial colonization in an OVA-induced asthma model in BALB/c mice. Asthma is a chronic airway disorder that is characterized by increased airway responsiveness and inflammation [1]. It is estimated that asthma affects approximately 300 million people worldwide [2], and its prevalence is steadily increasing [3]. Multiple epidemiological studies have suggested that a more “westernized” life style, which is defined as a cleaner environment with reduced bacterial exposure, increases the prevalence of asthma [5]. Exposure to diverse microbes can influence airway microbial colonization or the composition of the gut microbiome, which can affect asthma development [6]. A previous study has demonstrated that the prevalence of asthma is
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