Maternal Long-Term Intake of Inulin Improves Fetal Development through Gut Microbiota and Related Metabolites in a Rat Model

Adequate dietary fiber intake during gestation is critical for maternal–fetal health. This experiment aims to uncover the impacts of maternal long-term intake of inulin on fetal development and its underlying mechanism. Eighty female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to two groups receiving...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of agricultural and food chemistry 2022-02, Vol.70 (6), p.1840-1851
Main Authors: Peng, Xie, Huang, Yingyan, Wang, Guixiang, He, Ying, Hu, Liang, Fang, Zhengfeng, Lin, Yan, Xu, Shengyu, Feng, Bin, Li, Jian, Tang, Jiayong, Hua, Lun, Jiang, Xuemei, Zhuo, Yong, Che, Lianqiang, Wu, De
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Bioactive Constituents, Metabolites, and Functions
Female
Fetal Development
Gastrointestinal Microbiome
Inulin
Placenta
Pregnancy
Rats
Rats, Sprague-Dawley
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Summary:Adequate dietary fiber intake during gestation is critical for maternal–fetal health. This experiment aims to uncover the impacts of maternal long-term intake of inulin on fetal development and its underlying mechanism. Eighty female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to two groups receiving either a fiber-free diet or an inulin diet (inulin) for three parities. On the 19th day of pregnancy in the third parity, blood, intestinal, placental, and colonic digesta samples were collected. Results showed that maternal intake of inulin significantly decreased the within-litter birth weight variation in parities 2 and 3. Inulin intake modified the gut microbiome profiles and elevated the colonic contents of short chain fatty acids (propionate and butyrate). Inulin decreased the serotonin (5-HT) concentration in the colon, whereas it increased the 5-HT concentrations in serum and placenta and the number of 5-HT+ enterochromaffin cells in the colon. The protein expression of melatonin-synthesizing enzyme (arylalkylamine N-acetyltransferase) and the melatonin concentration in the placenta were also increased by inulin. Inulin improved the placental redox status and nutrient transport. These findings indicated that maternal long-term intake of inulin improves fetal development by altering the intestinal microbiota and related metabolites in rats.
ISSN:0021-8561
1520-5118
DOI:10.1021/acs.jafc.1c07284