Murine in utero exposure to simulated complex urban air pollution disturbs offspring gut maturation and microbiota during intestinal suckling-to-weaning transition in a sex-dependent manner

Abstract

Background Emerging data indicate that prenatal exposure to air pollution may lead to higher susceptibility to several non-communicable diseases. Limited research has been conducted due to difficulties in modelling realistic air pollution exposure. In this study, pregnant mice were exposed from gestational day 10–17 to an atmosphere representative of a 2017 pollution event in Beijing, China. Intestinal homeostasis and microbiota were assessed in both male and female offspring during the suckling-to-weaning transition. Results Sex-specific differences were observed in progeny of gestationally-exposed mice. In utero exposed males exhibited decreased villus and crypt length, vacuolation abnormalities, and lower levels of tight junction protein ZO-1 in ileum. They showed an upregulation of absorptive cell markers and a downregulation of neonatal markers in colon. Cecum of in utero exposed male mice also presented a deeply unbalanced inflammatory pattern. By contrast, in utero exposed female mice displayed less severe intestinal alterations, but included dysregulated expression of Lgr5 in colon, Tjp1 in cecum, and Epcam, Car2 and Sis in ileum. Moreover, exposed female mice showed dysbiosis characterized by a decreased weighted UniFrac β-diversity index, a higher abundance of Bacteroidales and Coriobacteriales orders, and a reduced Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio. Conclusion Prenatal realistic modelling of an urban air pollution event induced sex-specific precocious alterations of structural and immune intestinal development in mice.

Prebiotic Supplementation during Lactation Affects Microbial Colonization in Postnatal-Growth-Restricted Mice

“…PNGR was validated for each pup of the PNGR group if its body weight was lower than the 10th percentile for the body weight distribution in the CTRL group from PN6 to PN21. Moreover, to avoid the sex-specific outcomes on gut barrier function observed following early life adverse environmental factors in suckling and weanling rodents [ 21 , 22 ], only males were studied further. At PN21, the male pups ( n = 9–20 per group) were euthanized for sample collection.…”

“…early life adverse environmental factors in suckling and weanling rodents [21,22], only males were studied further. At PN21, the male pups (n = 9-20 per group) were euthanized for sample collection.…”