The mediating effect of maternal gut microbiota between prenatal psychological distress and neurodevelopment of infants.

Prenatal psychological distress and maternal inflammation can increase the risk of neurodevelopmental delay in offspring; recently, the gut microbiota has been shown to may be a potential mechanism behind this association and not fully elucidated in population study. Seventy-two maternal-infant pairs who completed the assessments of prenatal psychological distress during the third trimester and neurodevelopment of infants at age 6–8 months of age were included in this study. The gut microbiota and its short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) of maternal-infant were determined by 16S rRNA sequencing and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis. Inflammatory cytokines in the blood of pregnant women during the third trimester were detected by luminex liquid suspension microarrays. This study found that infants in the prenatal psychological distress group had poorer fine motor skills (β = −4.396, 95 % confidence interval (CI) = −8.546, −0.246, p = 0.038), problem-solving skills (β = −5.198, 95 % CI = -10.358, −0.038, p = 0.048) and total development (β = −22.303, 95%CI = -41.453, −3.153, p = 0.022) compared to the control group. The study also indicated that the higher level of interleukin-1β (IL-1β) (β = −1.951, 95%CI = −3.321, −0.581, p = 0.005) and interferon-inducible protein-10 (IP-10) (β = −0.019, 95%CI = -0.034, −0.004, p = 0.015) during the third trimester, the poorer fine motor skills in infants. Also, the higher level of IL-10 (β = −0.498, 95%CI = -0.862, −0.133, p = 0.007), IL-12p70 (β = −0.113, 95%CI = -0.178, −0.048, p = 0.001), IL-17 A (β = −0.817, 95%CI = -1.517, −0.118, p = 0.022), interferon-γ (β = −0.863, 95%CI = -1.304, −0.422, p < 0.001), IP-10 (β = −0.020, 95%CI = -0.038, −0.001, p = 0.035), and regulated upon activation normal T cell expressed and secreted (β = −0.002, 95%CI = -0.003, −0.001, p = 0.005) during the third trimester, the poorer problem-solving skills in infants. After controlling for relevant covariates, this study found that maternal gut microbiota Roseburia mediates the relationship between prenatal psychological distress and total neurodevelopment of infants (a = 0.433, 95%CI = 0.079, 0.787, p = 0.017; b = −19.835, 95%CI = -33.877, −5.792, p = 0.006; c = 22.407, 95%CI = -43.207,-1.608, p = 0.035; indirect effect = −8.584, 95%CI = -21.227, −0.587). This is the first study to emphasize the role of the maternal-infant gut microbiota in prenatal psychological distress and infant neurodevelopment. Further studies are needed to explore the biological mechanisms underlying the relationship between prenatal psychological distress, maternal-infant gut microbiota, and infant neurodevelopment. • No studies have been conducted on the role of the maternal-infant gut microbiota and its SCFAs in the association between prenatal psychological distress and inflammation during pregnancy and the neurodevelopment of offspring. • This study provided preliminary evidence that the maternal-infant gut microbiota and its metabolites (e.g., SCFAs) are associated with prenatal psychological distress, inflammatory cytokines during pregnancy, and infant neurodevelopment. • Results of this study demonstrated that maternal Roseburia during pregnancy acts as a mediator in the relationship between prenatal psychological distress and infant total neurodevelopment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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