“In a Finnish study, significant differences in the gene activity of the fetal intestine, brain and placenta were identified, depending on the microbes in the mother’s body and the compounds produced by them. The findings indicate that maternal microbes are important to her offspring’s development and health.
The microbiota of the mother or dam is thought to be important for the development and health of her offspring. However, so far little is known about how interactions with the microbiota begin and what the mechanisms of action are.
A collaborative study carried out at the Universities of Helsinki, Eastern Finland and Turku investigated how the maternal microbiota affects fetal development by comparing the foetuses of normal and germ-free mouse dams living in a sterile environment. The researchers measured gene expression and the concentrations of small-molecular compounds, or metabolites, in the fetal intestine, brain and placenta.
‘The effects of the dam microbiota and the metabolites it produces on fetal development have not been previously investigated in such a comprehensive manner. Our study sheds light on the significance of the microbiota and the mechanisms by which the microbiota affects individual development and pregnancy. We identified previously unknown compounds in the fetus, which are likely to be microbial and which can be important for individual development,’ says Mikael Niku, the principal investigator of the study from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki.”
Learn more on Maternal Microbiota Can Affect Fetal Development via Science Daily.
Aleksi Husso, Tiina Pessa-Morikawa, Ville Mikael Koistinen, Olli Kärkkäinen, Hyuk Nam Kwon, Leo Lahti, Antti Iivanainen, Kati Hanhineva, Mikael Niku. Impacts of maternal microbiota and microbial metabolites on fetal intestine, brain, and placenta. BMC Biology, 2023; 21 (1) DOI: 10.1186/s12915-023-01709-9
Family Medicine Residency Site: Abbotsford-Mission 