Department of Pediatrics, University of Chicago, Chicago, USA.
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Chicago, Chicago, USA.
Gut Microbes. 2024 Jan-Dec;16(1):2298697. doi: 10.1080/19490976.2023.2298697. Epub 2024 Feb 1.
The early life gut microbiome affects the developing brain, and therefore may serve as a target to support neurodevelopment of children living in stressful and under-resourced environments, such as Black youth living on the South Side of Chicago, for whom we observe racial disparities in health. Microbiome compositions/functions key to multiple neurodevelopmental facets have not been studied in Black children, a vulnerable population due to racial disparities in health; thus, a subsample of Black infants living in urban, low-income neighborhoods whose mothers participated in a prenatal nutrition study were recruited for testing associations between composition and function of the gut microbiome (16S rRNA gene sequencing, shotgun metagenomics, and targeted metabolomics of fecal samples) and neurodevelopment (developmental testing, maternal report of temperament, and observed stress regulation). Two microbiome community types, defined by high or abundance, were discovered in this cohort from 16S rRNA gene sequencing analysis; the -dominant community type was significantly negatively associated with cognition and language scores, specifically in male children. Vitamin B biosynthesis emerged as a key microbiome function from shotgun metagenomics sequencing analysis, showing positive associations with all measured developmental skills (i.e., cognition, language, motor, surgency, effortful control, and observed stress regulation). spp. also were identified as substantial contributors of important microbiome functions, including vitamin B biosynthesis and related vitamin B-dependent microbiome functions, anti-inflammatory microbial surface antigens, competitive mechanisms against pathobionts, and production of antioxidants. The results are promising with respect to the potential for exploring therapeutic candidates, such as vitamin B nutritional or spp. probiotic supplementation, to support the neurodevelopment of infants at risk for experiencing racial disparities in health.
早期生活中的肠道微生物群会影响大脑发育，因此可能成为支持生活在压力大且资源匮乏环境中的儿童（例如生活在芝加哥南区的黑人青年）神经发育的目标，我们观察到这些儿童的健康存在种族差异。肠道微生物群的组成/功能与多个神经发育方面有关，但尚未在黑人儿童中进行研究，黑人儿童是一个易受健康方面种族差异影响的脆弱群体；因此，从生活在城市低收入社区的黑人婴儿中招募了一个亚组进行测试，这些婴儿的母亲参与了一项产前营养研究，以研究肠道微生物群（16S rRNA 基因测序、宏基因组学和粪便样本靶向代谢组学）的组成和功能与神经发育（发育测试、母亲报告的气质和观察到的应激调节）之间的关联。通过 16S rRNA 基因测序分析，在这个队列中发现了两种微生物群落类型，定义为高 或 丰度；占主导地位的群落类型与认知和语言评分显著负相关，特别是在男童中。从宏基因组学测序分析中发现，维生素 B 生物合成是一个关键的微生物群功能，与所有测量的发育技能（即认知、语言、运动、冲动、努力控制和观察到的应激调节）呈正相关。 spp. 也被确定为重要微生物群功能的重要贡献者，包括维生素 B 生物合成和相关的维生素 B 依赖的微生物群功能、抗炎微生物表面抗原、对抗病原体的竞争机制以及抗氧化剂的产生。这些结果很有希望，因为可以探索治疗候选物，例如维生素 B 营养或 spp. 益生菌补充剂，以支持有健康方面种族差异风险的婴儿的神经发育。
