Gut microbiota and probiotics in maternal and infant health

Abstract

The interplay between both heredity and environmental factors seems to affect every stage of development from conception to the early postnatal period with potential long-term effects on child and adult health. During pregnancy, immune and metabolic functions of the fetus are dependent on the mother; moreover, the refinement of these functions seems to commence inside the uterus and to be diet sensitive. The microbiota inhabiting the intestinal tract develop an array of physiologic roles within the human body, which influences both metabolic and immune functions, particularly during early neonatal life and possibly even in utero. Transmission of bacteria from the mother to the neonate through direct contact with maternal microbiota during birth and through breast milk during lactation also seems to influence the infant's gut colonization, with potential health consequences. In this context, intentional modulation of microbiota composition through the use of probiotics during the perinatal and early postnatal period has been proposed as a possible dietary strategy to reduce risk of disease. Herein, studies are reviewed on the composition of the intestinal microbiota during pregnancy and clinical trials evaluating the effects of perinatal administration of probiotics on different clinical outcomes.

Maternal exposure to bisphenol A and genistein has minimal effect onAvy/aoffspring coat color but favors birth of agouti over nonagouti mice

“…Unfortunately, our records do not describe the degree of brown mottling for all breeder males used, as no inheritance of the epigenetic modification linked to male coat color was anticipated. Finally, a further possible cause for inconsistent patterns of coat color could be the changing gut flora of the pregnant dams, which might be expected to show fluctuations in composition over parity, animal age, and environmental background, and influence the nature of the compounds to which the developing offspring are exposed (56)(57)(58)(59)(60).…”

Post-Weaning Diet Affects Faecal Microbial Composition but Not Selected Adipose Gene Expression in the Cat (Felis catus)

“…It is typically accepted that the intestinal tract of the newborn is sterile [16], however there is some evidence to suggest that there is translocation of microbiota from the mother to the offspring before birth [17], [18]. Further, recent opinions suggest that maternal diet during gestation may influence the composition of the microbiota in the intestinal tract of the offspring at birth [19].…”

Study protocol: evaluation of the probiotic Lactobacillus Fermentum CECT5716 for the prevention of mastitis in breastfeeding women: a randomised controlled trial

“…Research indicates that specific probiotic bacteria possess significant anti-inflammatory properties comparable to a therapeutic pharmaceutical agent and supports their potential use as immunomodulatory agents [29]. Given the gut microbiota is a critical stimulus for the adequate maturation and function of the immune system [30], oral administration of probiotics to women during the early postnatal period to modulate microbiota composition is thought to provide an effective dietary strategy to reduce the risk of infection and disease [31]. …”

“…The use of probiotic bacteria during pregnancy and postpartum has also been proposed as a means of modulating maternal infection or inflammatory processes [39] and to support immune development in the infant [31]. Breastfed infants of mothers who consumed specific probiotics in the early postpartum period reported fewer gastrointestinal symptoms [31], while risk of atopic eczema, allergy and asthma was shown to confer some benefit during the first 2 years of life by some studies, but not in others [40].…”

“…Breastfed infants of mothers who consumed specific probiotics in the early postpartum period reported fewer gastrointestinal symptoms [31], while risk of atopic eczema, allergy and asthma was shown to confer some benefit during the first 2 years of life by some studies, but not in others [40]. Further studies with longer follow-up and amongst specific maternal populations most likely to benefit from probiotics, have been recommended.…”