Prenatal exposure to the probiotic Lactococcus lactis decreases anxiety-like behavior and modulates cortical cytoarchitecture in a sex specific manner.

Abstract

Development of the cerebral cortex may be influenced by the composition of the maternal gut microbiota. To test this possibility, we administered probiotic Lactococcus lactis in drinking water to mouse dams from day 10.5 of gestation until pups reached postnatal day 1 (P1). Pups were assessed in a battery of behavioral tests starting at 10 weeks old. We found that females, but not males, exposed to probiotic during prenatal development spent more time in the center of the open field and displayed decreased freezing time in cue associated learning, compared to controls. Furthermore, we found that probiotic exposure changed the density of cortical neurons and increased the density of blood vessels in the cortical plate of P1 pups. Sex-specific differences were observed in the number of mitotic neural progenitor cells, which were increased in probiotic exposed female pups. In addition, we found that probiotic treatment in the latter half of pregnancy significantly increased plasma oxytocin levels in mouse dams, but not in the offspring. These results suggest that exposure of naïve, unstressed dams to probiotic may exert sex-specific long-term effects on cortical development and anxiety related behavior in the offspring.

High Fructose Corn Syrup-Moderate Fat Diet Potentiates Anxio-Depressive Behavior and Alters Ventral Striatal Neuronal Signaling

“…Furthermore, abundance of Lactococcus was also reduced in HFCS-MFD mice. Bacteria belonging to genus Lactococcus are used in probiotics and have been suggested to have anxiolytic effects ( Surzenko et al, 2020 ). Thus, several of the effects of HFCS-MFD consumption are consistent with the growing link between the gastrointestinal microbiome and neuropsychiatric/neurological health.…”

Probiotics for Alzheimer’s Disease: A Systematic Review

“…The effect of probiotics in these studies suggests an increase in the thickness of corticol in the hippocampus. Surzenko and co-workers (2020) find that ingestion of Lactococcus lactis increases the proliferation of cortical neural progenitor cells, thereby enhancing the density of cortical neurons that further support this finding [ 105 ].…”

Long-term administration of Tetragenococcus halophilus No. 1 over generations affects the immune system of mice

“…Concerning the transgenerational changes caused by food intake, docosahexaenoic acid administration over three generations improves spatial learning performance and reduces anxiety-like behavior [ 20 ]. Also, prenatal exposure to probiotic Lactobacillus lactis affects the development of the cerebral cortex and anxiety-like behavior in the offspring [ 21 ]. Although such foods and lactic acid bacteria are found to affect behavior over generations, their mechanisms of action remain poorly understood.…”