Nature: See the intestinal-brain weight study again! The intestinal bacteria in pregnant women affect the brain development of the fetus.

BEIJING, Sept. 24 (Xinhua) -- Billions of microbes in the mother's intestines regulate key metabolites that are critical to the healthy development of the fetal brain, according to a new study published in Nature.
Although the maternal gut microbiome is associated with abnormal brain function and behavior in its offspring (usually caused by infection, a high-fat diet, or pregnancy stress), so far scientists do not know whether they also affect the neurodevelopment of the fetus during critical prenatal periods.
, the team at the Elaine Hsiao Laboratory in UCLA's Department of Integrated Biology and Physiology trained mice that killed the gut microbiome with antibiotics, as well as sterile mice.
, they studied how maternal microbiome deficiency and selective reconstruction of the microbiome affected the neurodevelopment of mouse fetuses. Helen Vuong, lead author of the
study and a postdoctoral researcher, said:
The reduction of the maternal gut microbiome disrupts the development of the fetus' brain and alters the genes that are turned on in the fetal brain, including many genes involved in the formation of new axons of neurons."
" axons are tiny nerve fibers that connect neurons and enable them to communicate.
researchers have observed a decrease in the number and length of axons that connect the cerebral and cortical layers in particular.
are particularly important for the ability to perceive the environment," said Vuong, a former U.S. government a.m.
, the offspring of pregnant mice lacking a gut microbiome have some sensory behavior defects.
study showed that the maternal gut microbiome can promote healthy development by regulating the metabolites that enter the fetal brain.
Vuong said: "When we measured maternal and fetal blood, as well as the type and level of molecules in the fetal brain, we found that specific metabolites are often reduced or missing when the gut bacteria are lacking during pregnancy.
" then, the researchers cultured neurons with these key metabolites and introduced them into pregnant mice with depleted microbiomes.
neurons in the presence of these metabolites, they grow longer and more axons, " said Vuong, a director of the Study Group.
when we added key metabolites to pregnant mice, levels of metabolites in their embryonic brains were restored and damage to axons and offspring behavior was prevented.
" gut microbiome is really capable of regulating not only many biomasses in pregnant mothers, but also developing offspring and biomass in their brains.
new study also identifies metabolites that promote axon formation.
results suggest that the maternal gut microbiome may signal developing brain neurons through microbial-regulated metabolites, which promote axons in the fetal pasumal cortical layer, at least in mice.
, author of the study and an assistant professor of microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics, said the applicability of the findings to humans was unclear.
we don't know if these findings apply to humans and how they can be applied to humans," she said.
, however, many neurodevelopmental disorders are thought to be caused by genetic and environmental risk factors experienced during pregnancy.
our study suggests that intestinal bacteria during pregnancy should also be considered and further studied, as this not only affects the health of the mother, but may also affect the health of future generations.
"