scholarly journals The role of the gut microbiota in the effects of early-life stress and dietary fatty acids on later-life central and metabolic outcomes in mice

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kitty Reemst ◽  
Sebastian Tims ◽  
Kit-yi Yam ◽  
Mona Mischke ◽  
Jan Knol ◽  
...  

Early-life stress (ELS) leads to increased vulnerability for mental and metabolic disorders. We have previously shown that dietary low ω-6/ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) ratio is able to protect against ELS-induced cognitive impairments. Due to the importance of the gut microbiota as determinants of long-term health, we here study the impact of ELS and dietary PUFA’s on the gut microbiota, and how this relates to the previously described cognitive, metabolic and fatty acid profiles. Male mice were exposed to ELS via the limited bedding and nesting paradigm (postnatal day (P)2 – P9) and to an early diet (P2 – P42) with either high (15) or low (1) ω-6 linoleic acid to ω-3 alpha-linolenic acid ratio. 16S ribosomal RNA was sequenced and analyzed from fecal samples at P21, P42 and P180. ELS increased β-diversity which persisted into adulthood. The low ω-6/ω-3 diet prevented the ELS-induced increase in β-diversity, at P42. At the level of taxa abundance, for example, the abundance of the phyla Bacteroidetes increased while Actinobacteria and Verrucomicrobia decreased with age; ELS reduced the relative abundance of the genera RC9 gut group and Rikenella into adulthood and the low ω-6/ω-3 diet reduced the abundance of the Firmicutes Erysipelotrichia. At P42, species abundance correlated with body fat mass and circulating leptin (e.g. Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria taxa) and fatty acid profiles (e.g. Firmicutes taxa). This study gives novel insights into the impact of age, ELS and dietary PUFAs on microbiota composition, providing potential targets for non-invasive (nutritional) modulation of the ELS-induced deficits.

PLoS ONE ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. e0142228 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matteo M. Pusceddu ◽  
Sahar El Aidy ◽  
Fiona Crispie ◽  
Orla O’Sullivan ◽  
Paul Cotter ◽  
...  

PLoS ONE ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. e0139721 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matteo M. Pusceddu ◽  
Sahar El Aidy ◽  
Fiona Crispie ◽  
Orla O’Sullivan ◽  
Paul Cotter ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 1899 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hae Jeong Park ◽  
Sang A. Kim ◽  
Won Sub Kang ◽  
Jong Woo Kim

Recent studies have reported that changes in gut microbiota composition could induce neuropsychiatric problems. In this study, we investigated alterations in gut microbiota induced by early-life stress (ELS) in rats subjected to maternal separation (MS; 6 h a day, postnatal days (PNDs) 1–21), along with changes in inflammatory cytokines and tryptophan-kynurenine (TRP-KYN) metabolism, and assessed the differences between sexes. High-throughput sequencing of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene showed that the relative abundance of the Bacteroides genus was increased and that of the Lachnospiraceae family was decreased in the feces of MS rats of both sexes (PND 56). By comparison, MS increased the relative abundance of the Streptococcus genus and decreased that of the Staphylococcus genus only in males, whereas the abundance of the Sporobacter genus was enhanced and that of the Mucispirillum genus was reduced by MS only in females. In addition, the levels of proinflammatory cytokines were increased in the colons (IFN-γ and IL-6) and sera (IL-1β) of the male MS rats, together with the elevation of the KYN/TRP ratio in the sera, but not in females. In the hippocampus, MS elevated the level of IL-1β and the KYN/TRP ratio in both male and female rats. These results indicate that MS induces peripheral and central inflammation and TRP-KYN metabolism in a sex-dependent manner, together with sex-specific changes in gut microbes.


Author(s):  
V.A. Vokina

Long-term consequences of impaired perinatal development are very significant. They appear during the neonatal period and in the first years of life, and persist during ontogenesis. There is little data on the impact of any prenatal factors on the sensitivity of a sexually mature organism to medications. The aim of the study is to assess the impact of early life stress on the development of individual antidepressant sensitivity. Materials and Methods. The authors conducted the experiments on sexually mature outbred male rats. To simulate the early life stress, a standard protocol was used. From the 2nd to 15th days of the postnatal period the pup rats were separated from their mother for 3 hours and kept in an incubator. The open-field test, Porsolt test and Sucrose consumption test were used to determine rat’s anxiety level as well as motor, orientation and exploratory activity at puberty. Then, for 14 days, the rats were intragastrically administered with a fluoxetine solution (10 mg/kg/daily), followed by their full examination. Statistical analysis of results was performed using the Mann-Whitney U-test to compare unrelated groups and Wilcoxon's test to compare related groups. Results. Fluoxetine did not have a pronounced antidepressant effect in animals that survived the early life stress. Such animals demonstrated passive floating during the Porsolt test, without any changes in immobility time. When testing in an open field, a sharp increase in the number of freezing behavior was observed, which was an indicator of an increased anxiety level in animals. Conclusion. The results obtained indicate that the long-term effects of neonatal stress may be associated with a change in antidepressant sensitivity or an increase in development of unwanted adverse reactions. Keywords: early life stress, depression, antidepressants, fluoxetine, rats. Отдаленные последствия нарушения перинатального развития весьма значительны и не только проявляются в период новорожденности и в первые годы жизни, но и сохраняются в период онтогенеза. Данные о влиянии каких-либо пренатальных факторов на чувствительность половозрелого организма к действию лекарственных веществ в доступной литературе представлены незначительно. Цель исследования – оценить роль стресса раннего периода жизни в формировании индивидуальной чувствительности к действию антидепрессантов. Материалы и методы. Эксперименты проведены на половозрелых беспородных крысах-самцах. Для моделирования стресса раннего периода жизни использовали стандартный протокол, подразумевающий отделение детенышей от матери со 2-го по 15-й дни постнатального периода на 3 ч в условиях инкубатора. В половозрелом возрасте проводили оценку уровня тревожности, двигательной и ориентировочно-исследовательской активности крыс в условиях теста открытого поля, теста Порсолта и теста «Потребление раствора сахарозы». Затем в течение 14 дней крысам внутрижелудочно вводили раствор флуоксетина (10 мг/кг/сут), после чего обследование повторяли в том же объеме. Статистический анализ результатов исследования проводили с использованием U-критерия Манна–Уитни для сравнения несвязанных групп и критерия Вилкоксона для сравнения связанных групп. Результаты. У животных, переживших стресс раннего периода жизни, флуоксетин не оказывал выраженного антидепрессантного действия. У данных животных в тесте Порсолта преобладало пассивное плавание, без изменения длительности иммобильности. При тестировании в открытом поле наблюдалось резкое повышение числа актов фризинга, что является показателем повышенного уровня тревожности у животных. Выводы. Полученные результаты свидетельствуют о том, что отдаленные последствия неонатального стресса могут быть связанны с изменением чувствительности к действию антидепрессантов или повышением риска развития нежелательных побочных реакций. Ключевые слова: стресс раннего периода жизни, депрессия, антидепрессанты, флуоксетин, крысы.


2019 ◽  
Vol 79 (1) ◽  
pp. 113-132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marion Rincel ◽  
Muriel Darnaudéry

The developmental period constitutes a critical window of sensitivity to stress. Indeed, early-life adversity increases the risk to develop psychiatric diseases, but also gastrointestinal disorders such as the irritable bowel syndrome at adulthood. In the past decade, there has been huge interest in the gut–brain axis, especially as regards stress-related emotional behaviours. Animal models of early-life adversity, in particular, maternal separation (MS) in rodents, demonstrate lasting deleterious effects on both the gut and the brain. Here, we review the effects of MS on both systems with a focus on stress-related behaviours. In addition, we discuss more recent findings showing the impact of gut-directed interventions, including nutrition with pre- and probiotics, illustrating the role played by gut microbiota in mediating the long-term effects of MS. Overall, preclinical studies suggest that nutritional approaches with pro- and prebiotics may constitute safe and efficient strategies to attenuate the effects of early-life stress on the gut–brain axis. Further research is required to understand the complex mechanisms underlying gut–brain interaction dysfunctions after early-life stress as well as to determine the beneficial impact of gut-directed strategies in a context of early-life adversity in human subjects.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zsofia P. Cohen ◽  
Kelly T. Cosgrove ◽  
Danielle C. DeVille ◽  
Elisabeth Akeman ◽  
Manpreet K. Singh ◽  
...  

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has brought on far-reaching consequences for adolescents. Adolescents with early life stress (ELS) may be at particular risk. We sought to examine how COVID-19 impacted psychological functioning in a sample of healthy and ELS-exposed adolescents during the pandemic.Methods: A total of 24 adolescents (15 healthy, nine ELS) completed self-report measures prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The effect of COVID-19 on symptoms of depression and anxiety were explored using linear mixed-effect analyses.Results: With the onset of the pandemic, healthy but not ELS-exposed adolescents evidenced increased symptoms of depression and anxiety (ps < 0.05). Coping by talking with friends and prioritizing sleep had a protective effect against anxiety for healthy adolescents (t = −3.76, p = 0.002).Conclusions: On average, this study demonstrated large increases in depression and anxiety in adolescents who were healthy prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, while ELS-exposed adolescents evidenced high but stable symptoms over time.


2016 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. 144-151 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaret J Morris ◽  
Vivian Le ◽  
Jayanthi Maniam

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