title: Maternal gut and fetal brain connection: Increased anxiety and reduced social interactions in Wistar rat offspring following peri-conceptional antibiotic exposure.
abstract: A growing body of evidence indicates that gut microbiota characteristics may be closely related to mental dysfunctions. However, no studies have investigated fetal brain development in relation to the maternal gut microbiota, despite the extensive use of antibiotics in obstetric practice.
  
  
  
  To determine how periconceptional exposure to SuccinylSulfaThiazole (SST), a non-absorbable antibiotic, can affect behavior in rat offspring. This antibiotic drug has previously been shown to substantially perturb the gut microbiota in rats following a 28-day exposure.
  
  
  
  Female Wistar rats were divided in two groups: control, or exposed during one month before breeding until gestational day 15 to a diet containing 1% SST. We administered behavioral tests to offspring, i.e., open field (post-natal day 20), social interactions (P25), marble burying (P30), elevated plus maze (P35), and prepulse inhibition of the acoustic startle reflex (sensory gating) (P45).
  
  
  
  Both male and female offspring exposed peri-conceptionally to SST showed reduced social interactions, with a decrease of about half in time spent in social interactions compared to controls, reduced exploration of the open arm by 20% in the elevated plus maze test indicating increased anxiety and altered sensorimotor gating, with a 1.5-2-fold decrease in startle inhibition.
  
  
  
  Maternal periconceptional exposure to SST provokes alterations in offspring behavior in the absence of maternal infection. Because we administered SST, a non-absorbable antibiotic, only to the dam, we conclude that these neurobehavioral alterations in the offspring are related to maternal gut microbiota alterations.
authors.affiliation: Faculté de Médecine et Sciences de la Santé, Université de Sherbrooke, 3001 12e Avenue Nord, Sherbrooke, QC J1H 5H3, Canada. Electronic address: stephanie.degroote@usherbrooke.ca.
authors.forename: Stéphanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Degroote
authors.affiliation: Faculté de Médecine et Sciences de la Santé, Université de Sherbrooke, 3001 12e Avenue Nord, Sherbrooke, QC J1H 5H3, Canada. Electronic address: darel.hunting@usherbrooke.ca.
authors.forename: Darel J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Hunting
authors.affiliation: Harvard School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02115, United States. Electronic address: abaccare@hsph.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: Andrea A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Baccarelli
authors.affiliation: Faculté de Médecine et Sciences de la Santé, Université de Sherbrooke, 3001 12e Avenue Nord, Sherbrooke, QC J1H 5H3, Canada. Electronic address: larissa.takser@usherbrooke.ca.
authors.forename: Larissa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Takser
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000009:adverse effects*; D001007:Anxiety / Q000209:etiology*; D004435:Eating / Q000187:drug effects; D005106:Exploratory Behavior / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D006710:Homocysteine / Q000378:metabolism; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D018782:Maze Learning / Q000187:drug effects; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D065808:Prepulse Inhibition / Q000187:drug effects; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013432:Sulfathiazoles / Q000009:adverse effects*; D014364:Tryptophan / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D013432:Sulfathiazoles; D006710:Homocysteine; D014364:Tryptophan; C009342:succinylsulfathiazole
keywords: Antibiotic; Behavior; Microbiota; Rat; SuccinylSulfaThiazole