id_861. THE ROLE OF MATERNAL HIGH-FAT DIET AND PROBIOTIC SUPPLEMENTATION DURING PREGNANCY AND LACTATION IN SHAPING BEHAVIORAL PHENOTYPES OF MOUSE OFFSPRING: A POTENTIAL ROLE OF THE GUT–BRAIN AXIS
Nataliia Kolach1, Natalia Malikowska-Racia2, Renata Pieniążek1, Dawid Gawliński1
1 Maj Institute of Pharmacology Polish Academy of Sciences, Department of Drug Addiction Pharmacology, 12 Smętna St., Cracow, Poland
2 Maj Institute of Pharmacology Polish Academy of Sciences, Department of Behavioral Neuroscience & Drug Development, 12 Smętna St., Cracow, Poland
INTRODUCTION: Maternal obesity induced by a high-fat diet (HFD) has been shown to adversely affect offspring brain development, increasing vulnerability to psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders. Exposure to a maternal high-fat diet (mHFD) may also alter offspring gut microbiota composition, thereby disrupting gut–brain axis signaling.
AIM(S): The aim of this study was to assess behavioral outcomes and gut microbiota composition in offspring exposed to mHFD, as well as to evaluate the efficacy of probiotic supplementation during pregnancy and lactation in mitigating mHFD-induced adverse effects.
METHOD(S): Female C57BL/6J mice were fed either a control diet (10% of energy from fat) or an HFD (45% of energy from fat) for 8 weeks prior to mating and throughout pregnancy and lactation. A subset of HFD-fed dams received a probiotic (Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus and Lactobacillus helveticus) in drinking water (10⁹ colony-forming units/mL) during pregnancy and lactation. Offspring ultrasonic vocalizations were assessed during infancy, followed by behavioral testing in adolescence, including the open field test, self-grooming test, marble burying test, elevated plus maze (EPM), and novel object recognition test. Gut microbiota composition was analyzed in offspring fecal samples using shotgun metagenomic sequencing.
RESULTS: Notably, mHFD significantly reduced the time spent by female offspring in the open arms of the EPM, an effect reversed by maternal probiotic supplementation. Furthermore, mHFD decreased the Shannon diversity index in offspring of both sexes, whereas probiotic supplementation restored microbial diversity in female offspring to levels comparable to controls.
CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, mHFD may predispose female offspring to anxiety-like behaviors and induce gut microbiota dysbiosis in a sex-independent manner. Maternal probiotic supplementation during exposure to HFD may protect against behavioral disturbances and partially normalize gut–brain axis function in offspring.
FINANCIAL SUPPORT: This study was supported by a grant no. 2021/43/B/NZ5/02552 from the National Science Centre (Poland).