In a recent study published in Molecular Metabolism , researchers evaluated the impact of Bifidobacterium breve 's presence in the maternal gut during pregnancy on fetal brain metabolism. Study: Maternal gut Bifidobacterium breve modifies fetal brain metabolism in germ-free mice . Image Credit: Prostock-studio/Shutterstock.
com Background Fetal growth restriction (FGR) is a severe disorder in which a fetus fails to attain full development due to placental insufficiency during pregnancy. FGR could result in postnatal neurodevelopmental abnormalities, including motor and cognitive dysfunction, learning disabilities, and cerebral palsy. Pharmacological therapies like aspirin, heparin, and sildenafil citrate have inconsistent impacts on pregnancy outcomes.
Thus, effective treatments are required to avoid or lessen the adverse effects of FGR. The gut microbiome can impact brain function and behavior, and targeting the maternal gut microbiota with probiotics may result in particular alterations in brain development throughout the perinatal period. Researchers previously demonstrated that giving three doses of Bifidobacterium breve to pregnant and non-pregnant germ-free mice leads to sustained gut colonization, enhanced fetal development, and structural alterations in the placenta.
About the study In the present study, researchers investigated whether the quantity of Bifidobacterium breve UCC2003 in the maternal gut corresponded to alterations in fetal brain growth and metabolism. Re.