Reacción a "Microbiota of pregnant mice influences the stem cells of their offspring"

The authors of the manuscript ‘Maternal microbiota influence stem cell function in offspring’, led by Prof Parag Kundu, have investigated how the development of major organs of the body, such as the intestine and the brain, is modulated. As our and other previous studies have already highlighted, the maternal microbiota has a major influence on host development, improving both intestinal and brain barrier function in early life. Unlike previous studies that compared the offspring of germ-free or gestationally colonised pregnant mice, this study used a more translational experimental design. Dr. Dang and colleagues administered a well-known probiotic, Akkermansia muciniphila (Am), to pregnant mice. This probiotic, Am, induces a major change in the maternal microbiota, promoting the expansion of bacteria that produce microbial metabolites, such as short-chain fatty acids, which are known to improve the development and function of intestinal and brain cells. This altered microbiota acts on embryonic intestinal and hhippocampal stem cells, which exhibit unique properties and facilitate tissue physiology in steady state or during inflammatory challenges.  

This study joins previous research on this topic, confirming the critical relevance of maternal microbiota in the offspring’s development. They have highlighted how changes in the maternal microbial composition have a major impact on the development of critical organs of the body, including the intestine and the brain. Importantly, they show that altered maternal microbiota also determine intestinal disease susceptibility and behavioural traits throughout the lifespan. This study encourages further research to determine the favourable maternal microbiota for an optimal foetal development. Similarly to the recent publication of Dr. Ganal-Vonarburg and Prof. Vergères in which they administered prebiotics producers of targeted microbial metabolites to pregnant mice to promote intestinal immune development, this study highlights the necessity for further investigation into the mechanisms by which and the timing of maternal microbial interventions that could be employed as therapeutic approaches for healthy newborns and adults.