Key Laboratory of Molecular Epidemiology of Hunan Province, School of Medicine, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, 410081, China; Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Medical and Health Science of HeBMU, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, 050017, China.
Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Medical and Health Science of HeBMU, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, 050017, China.
Neuropharmacology. 2021 Jun 15;191:108563. doi: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2021.108563. Epub 2021 Apr 20.
Increasing evidence indicates that gut microbiota and its metabolites can influence the brain function and the related behaviors. Trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO), an indirect metabolite of gut microbiota, has been linked to aging, cognitive impairment, and many brain disorders. However, the potential effects of TMAO on social behaviors remain elusive. The present study investigated the effects of early life systemic TMAO exposure and intra-hippocampal TMAO infusion during adulthood on social behaviors in mice. We also analyzed the effects of intra-hippocampus infusion of TMAO during adulthood on levels of metabolites. The results showed that both systemic TMAO exposure in the post-weaning period and intra-hippocampal TMAO infusion during adulthood decreased social rank and reduced sexual preference in adult mice. Data from LC-MS metabolomics analysis showed that intra-hippocampal TMAO infusion induced a total 207 differential metabolites, which belongs to several metabolic or signaling pathways, especially FoxO signaling pathway and retrograde endocannabinoid signaling pathway. These data suggest that TMAO may affect social behaviors by regulating metabolites in the hippocampus, which may provide a new insight into the role of gut microbiota in regulating social behaviors.
越来越多的证据表明,肠道微生物群及其代谢产物可以影响大脑功能和相关行为。三甲胺 N-氧化物(TMAO)是肠道微生物群的间接代谢产物,与衰老、认知障碍和许多大脑疾病有关。然而,TMAO 对社交行为的潜在影响仍不清楚。本研究探讨了早期系统 TMAO 暴露和成年期海马内 TMAO 输注对小鼠社交行为的影响。我们还分析了成年期海马内 TMAO 输注对代谢物水平的影响。结果表明,新生后期系统 TMAO 暴露和成年期海马内 TMAO 输注均降低了成年小鼠的社会等级和性偏好。来自 LC-MS 代谢组学分析的数据显示,海马内 TMAO 输注诱导了总共 207 种差异代谢物,这些代谢物属于几种代谢或信号通路,特别是 FoxO 信号通路和逆行内源性大麻素信号通路。这些数据表明,TMAO 可能通过调节海马中的代谢物来影响社交行为,这可能为肠道微生物群在调节社交行为中的作用提供新的见解。