Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research, Wacol, Australia.
Transl Psychiatry. 2023 Jun 14;13(1):204. doi: 10.1038/s41398-023-02513-3.
Developmental vitamin D (DVD)-deficiency is an epidemiologically established risk factor for autism. Emerging studies also highlight the involvement of gut microbiome/gut physiology in autism. The current study aims to examine the effect of DVD-deficiency on a broad range of autism-relevant behavioural phenotypes and gut health. Vitamin D deficient rat dams exhibited altered maternal care, DVD-deficient pups showed increased ultrasonic vocalizations and as adolescents, social behaviour impairments and increased repetitive self-grooming behaviour. There were significant impacts of DVD-deficiency on gut health demonstrated by alterations to the microbiome, decreased villi length and increased ileal propionate levels. Overall, our animal model of this epidemiologically validated risk exposure for autism shows an expanded range of autism-related behavioural phenotypes and now alterations in gut microbiome that correlate with social behavioural deficits raising the possibility that DVD-deficiency induced ASD-like behaviours are due to alterations in gut health.
发育性维生素 D（DVD）缺乏是自闭症的一种已在流行病学上确立的风险因素。新兴研究也强调了肠道微生物组/肠道生理学在自闭症中的作用。本研究旨在检查 DVD 缺乏对广泛的自闭症相关行为表型和肠道健康的影响。维生素 D 缺乏的母鼠表现出改变的母性行为，DVD 缺乏的幼鼠表现出增加的超声波发声，而在青少年时期，表现出社交行为障碍和增加的重复自我梳理行为。DVD 缺乏对肠道健康有显著影响，表现为微生物组的改变、绒毛长度的减少和回肠丙酸水平的增加。总的来说，我们的自闭症流行病学验证风险暴露的动物模型显示出更广泛的自闭症相关行为表型，现在肠道微生物组的改变与社交行为缺陷相关，这增加了 DVD 缺乏诱导的 ASD 样行为是由于肠道健康改变的可能性。
