Prenatal and postnatal determinants in shaping offspring’s microbiome in the first 1000 days: study protocol and preliminary results at one month of life

Abstract

Background: Fetal programming during in utero life defines the set point of physiological and metabolic responses that lead into adulthood; events happening in "the first 1,000 days" (from conception to 2-years of age), play a role in the development of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). The infant gut microbiome is a highly dynamic organ, which is sensitive to maternal and environmental factors and is one of the elements driving intergenerational NCDs' transmission. The A.MA.MI (Alimentazione MAmma e bambino nei primi MIlle giorni) project aims at investigating the correlation between several factors, from conception to the first year of life, and infant gut microbiome composition. We described the study design of the A.MA.MI study and presented some preliminary results.Methods: A.MA.MI is a longitudinal, prospective, observational study conducted on a group of mother-infant pairs (n = 60) attending the Neonatal Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia (Italy). The study was planned to provide data collected at T0, T1, T2 and T3, respectively before discharge, 1,6 and 12 months after birth. Maternal and infant anthropometric measurements were assessed at each time. Other variables evaluated were: pre-pregnancy/gestational weight status (T0), maternal dietary habits/physical activity (T1-T3); infant medical history, type of feeding, antibiotics/probiotics/supplements use, environment exposures (e.g cigarette smoking, pets, environmental temperature) (T1-T3). Infant stool samples were planned to be collected at each time and analyzed using metagenomics 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequence-based methods. Results: Birth mode (cesarean section vs. vaginal delivery) and maternal pre pregnancy BMI (BMI < 25 Kg/m 2 vs. BMI ≥ 25 Kg/m 2 ), significant differences were found at genera and species levels (T0). Concerning type of feeding (breastfed vs. formula-fed), gut microbiota composition differed significantly at genus and species level (T1).Conclusion: These preliminary and explorative results confirmed that pre-pregnancy, mode of delivery and infant factors likely impact infant microbiota composition at different levels. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04122612.

Polyphenol Enriched Diet Administration During Pregnancy and Lactation Prevents Dysbiosis in Ulcerative Colitis Predisposed Littermates

“…The intestinal colonization is believed to start in utero and adapt to numerous host and environmental factors. The host genetics plays a non-redundant role in shaping the intestinal microbiota ( Liso et al., 2019 ), nonetheless, several different factors further influence the composition of the gut microbiota including cesarean or natural birth, feeding types, weaning, birth environment, and mothers’ microbiota ( Nagpal et al., 2017 ; Raspini et al., 2020 ). As IBD patients, including mothers during pregnancy, are characterized by reduced α-diversity, it is not surprising that such reduction is transmitted to the offspring ( Torres et al., 2020 ).…”

The Diversity of the Intestinal Flora Disturbed After Feeding Intolerance Recovery in Preterm Twins

“…The accumulated evidence indicates that microbiota development is shaped by host biology and related to the environment. Previous studies have shown that the composition of the intestinal flora of preterm infants was affected by many factors, such as maternal illness and nutritional status during pregnancy ( 20 ), delivery mode ( 21 ), feeding mode ( 22 , 23 ), gestational age ( 24 , 25 ), type and duration of antibiotic use ( 26 , 27 ), intrauterine or nosocomial infection ( 28 , 29 ), environment in NCU ( 30 ), use of probiotics and so on ( 31 , 32 ). In our study, we choose those infants that were deliverd by cesarean, no breastmilk feeding, no NEC or sepsis, no probiotics and asphyxia, so we did not analyze those factors mentioned above.…”

Early Life Microbiota Colonization at Six Months of Age: A Transitional Time Point

“…The complete study design and the study protocol were previously described elsewhere (Raspini et al, 2020).…”

“…The intestinal microbiota undergoes dynamic development during the first years of life, determining adult microbiota composition and, consequently, impacting health. Many factors influence the shaping of gut microbiota in this critical window of plasticity, including gestational age, maternal pre-pregnancy BMI, weight gain during pregnancy, mode of birth, feeding types, weaning, birth environment, besides ethnic/geographical background (Nagpal et al, 2017;Raspini et al, 2020).…”