title: Administration of Non-Absorbable Antibiotics to Pregnant Mice to Perturb the Maternal Gut Microbiota Is Associated with Alterations in Offspring Behavior.
abstract: There is increasing evidence that the gut microbiota plays a major role in host health and disease. In this study, we examined whether perturbation of the maternal gut microbiota during pregnancy, induced by administration of non-absorbable antibiotics to pregnant dams, influences the behavior of offspring. Terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism analyses of fecal bacterial composition showed that the relative abundance of the bacterial order Lactobacillales was lower in offspring born from antibiotic-treated dams (20.7 ± 3.4%) than in control offspring (42.1 ± 6.2%) at P24, while the relative abundance of the bacterial family Clostridium subcluster XIVa was higher in offspring born from antibiotic-treated dams (34.2 ± 5.0%) than in control offspring (16.4 ± 3.3%). Offspring born from antibiotic-treated dams exhibited low locomotor activity in both familiar and novel environments, and preferred to explore in the peripheral area of an unfamiliar field at postnatal week 4. At postnatal weeks 7-8, no difference was observed in the level of locomotor activity between control offspring and offspring from antibiotic-treated dams, while the tendency for the offspring from antibiotic-treated dams to be less engaged in exploring the inside area was still observed. The behavioral phenotypes of the offspring from antibiotic-treated dams at postnatal week 4 could be rescued to a considerable extent through fostering of these offspring by normal dams from postnatal day 1. Although the detailed underlying mechanisms are not fully elucidated, the present results suggest that administration of non-absorbable antibiotics to pregnant dams to perturb the maternal gut microbiota during pregnancy leads to alterations in the behavior of their offspring.
authors.affiliation: Division of Development of Mental Functions, Research Center for Child Mental Development, University of Fukui, Fukui 910-1193, Japan.|Division of Developmental Higher Brain Functions, Department of Child Development, United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, Kanazawa University, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Chiba University and University of Fukui, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.|Research and Education Program for Life Science, University of Fukui, Fukui 910-8507, Japan.
authors.forename: Shiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tochitani
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Fukui, Fukui 910-1193, Japan.
authors.forename: Takahiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ikeno
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Fukui, Fukui 910-1193, Japan.
authors.forename: Tatsuhito
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Fukui, Fukui 910-1193, Japan.
authors.forename: Asuka
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sakurai
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Fukui, Fukui 910-1193, Japan.
authors.forename: Tomoki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yamauchi
authors.affiliation: Division of Development of Mental Functions, Research Center for Child Mental Development, University of Fukui, Fukui 910-1193, Japan.|Division of Developmental Higher Brain Functions, Department of Child Development, United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, Kanazawa University, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Chiba University and University of Fukui, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.|Research and Education Program for Life Science, University of Fukui, Fukui 910-8507, Japan.|School of Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Fukui, Fukui 910-1193, Japan.
authors.forename: Hideo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Matsuzaki
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000494:pharmacology; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects*; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D065569:Gastrointestinal Absorption; D000069196:Gastrointestinal Microbiome / Q000187:drug effects*; D051379:Mice; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects; D011247:Pregnancy
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents