A study has found that the composition of a mother’s gut microbiome in pregnancy has a knock-on effect on the baby’s brain development.
The University of Cambridge uncovered the role of Bifidobacterium breve, a ‘good’ bacteria commonly found in the gut microbiome, in supporting nutrient transport to the brain in mice.
It also supported a number of other cell signalling pathways which are intimately linked to brain development in a foetus, including PI3K-AKT, STAT5, AMPK and Wnt β-catenin signalling via Frizzled-7.
The results, which were published in the journal Molecular Metabolism, suggest that supplementing with Bifidobacterium breve could assist mothers in improving their child’s development prenatally.
Researchers conducted this study in mice who had no gut microbiome, with one group being left to give birth naturally without any probiotic intervention, while the other one received B. breve orally.
This allowed them to determine the individual impact of B. breve supplementation on foetal development.
A previous investigation made by the University found that supplementation with Bifidobacterium breve can also improve the structure and function of the placenta, highlight the bacteria’s key role in foetal health.
“Our study suggests that by providing ‘good bacteria’ to the mother, we could improve the growth and development of her baby while she’s pregnant,” said Dr Jorge Lopez-Tello, a researcher in the University of Cambridge’s Centre for Trophoblast Research, first author of the report.
“This means future treatments for foetal growth restriction could potentially focus on altering the gut microbiome through probiotics, rather than offering pharmaceutical treatments - with the risk of side effects - to pregnant women.”