A Review of the Impact of Maternal Prenatal Stress on Offspring Microbiota and Metabolites

• Published in: Metabolites Vol. 13; no. 4; p. 535
• Main Authors: Yeramilli, Venkata, Cheddadi, Riadh, Shah, Juhi, Brawner, Kyle, Martin, Colin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 01.04.2023; MDPI
• Subjects: Adults; Analysis; Animal models; Anxiety; Behavior; butyrate; Care and treatment; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; Cytokines; Diagnosis; Dietary supplements; Disease transmission; Fatty acids; Health aspects; Inflammation; intestine; Mental disorders; Mental health; Metabolic disorders; Metabolism; Metabolites; microbiome; Microbiomes; Microbiota; Microorganisms; Molecular modelling; Motility; Nervous system; Offspring; Physiology; Pregnancy; Pregnant women; Prenatal experience; Probiotics; Psychological aspects; Review; Risk factors; short chain fatty acids; Stress; Stress (Psychology); Therapeutic targets; Vagina; United States; stress; intestine; butyrate; microbiome; short chain fatty acids
• ISSN: 2218-1989; 2218-1989
• DOI: 10.3390/metabo13040535

Maternal prenatal stress exposure affects the development of offspring. We searched for articles in the PubMed database and reviewed the evidence for how prenatal stress alters the composition of the microbiome, the production of microbial-derived metabolites, and regulates microbiome-induced behavioral changes in the offspring. The gut-brain signaling axis has gained considerable attention in recent years and provides insights into the microbial dysfunction in several metabolic disorders. Here, we reviewed evidence from human studies and animal models to discuss how maternal stress can modulate the offspring microbiome. We will discuss how probiotic supplementation has a profound effect on the stress response, the production of short chain fatty acids (SCFAs), and how psychobiotics are emerging as novel therapeutic targets. Finally, we highlight the potential molecular mechanisms by which the effects of stress are transmitted to the offspring and discuss how the mitigation of early-life stress as a risk factor can improve the birth outcomes.