Zhou Lepeng, Tang Linghong, Zhou Chuhui, Wen Shi Wu, Krewski Daniel, Xie Ri-Hua
School of Nursing, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Women and Children Medical Research Center, Foshan Women and Children Hospital, Foshan, Guangdong, China.
Front Psychiatry. 2024 May 21;15:1385229. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1385229. eCollection 2024.
Understanding the mechanisms underlying maternal postpartum depression (PPD) and its effects on offspring development is crucial. However, research on the association between maternal PPD, gut microbiota, and offspring neurodevelopment remains limited. This study aimed to examine the association of maternal PPD symptoms with early gut microbiome, gut metabolome, and neurodevelopment in infants at 6 months.
Maternal PPD symptoms were assessed using the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale (EPDS) at 42 days postpartum. Infants stool samples collected at 42 days after birth were analyzed using 16S rRNA sequencing and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) detection. Infant neurodevelopment was measured at 6 months using the Ages and Stages Questionnaire, Third Edition (ASQ-3). Correlations between gut microbiota, metabolites and neurodevelopment were identified through co-occurrence network analysis. Finally, mediation analyses were conducted to determine potential causal pathways.
A total of 101 mother-infant dyads were included in the final analysis. Infants born to mothers with PPD symptoms at 42 days postpartum had lower neurodevelopmental scores at 6 months. These infants also had increased alpha diversity of gut microbiota and were abundant in and , while depleted abundance of , , and Furthermore, alterations were observed in metabolite levels linked to the Alanine, aspartate, and glutamate metabolic pathway, primarily characterized by decreases in N-Acetyl-L-aspartic acid, L-Aspartic acid, and L-Asparagine. Co-occurrence network and mediation analyses revealed that N-Acetyl-L-aspartic acid and L-Aspartic acid levels mediated the relationship between maternal PPD symptoms and the development of infant problem-solving skills.
Maternal PPD symptoms are associated with alterations in the gut microbiota and neurodevelopment in infants. This study provides new insights into potential early intervention for infants whose mother experienced PPD. Further research is warranted to elucidate the biological mechanisms underlying these associations.
了解产后抑郁症（PPD）的潜在机制及其对后代发育的影响至关重要。然而，关于产后抑郁症、肠道微生物群和后代神经发育之间关联的研究仍然有限。本研究旨在探讨产后42天母亲产后抑郁症症状与6个月婴儿早期肠道微生物组、肠道代谢组和神经发育之间的关联。
在产后42天使用爱丁堡产后抑郁量表（EPDS）评估母亲的产后抑郁症症状。对出生后42天采集的婴儿粪便样本进行16S rRNA测序和液相色谱-质谱联用（LC-MS）检测。在6个月时使用第三版年龄与发育阶段问卷（ASQ-3）测量婴儿神经发育情况。通过共现网络分析确定肠道微生物群、代谢物与神经发育之间的相关性。最后，进行中介分析以确定潜在的因果途径。
最终分析纳入了101对母婴。产后42天有产后抑郁症症状的母亲所生婴儿在6个月时神经发育得分较低。这些婴儿的肠道微生物群α多样性也增加， 和 丰富，而 、 、 和 的丰度减少。此外，观察到与丙氨酸、天冬氨酸和谷氨酸代谢途径相关的代谢物水平发生改变，主要表现为N-乙酰-L-天冬氨酸、L-天冬氨酸和L-天冬酰胺减少。共现网络和中介分析表明，N-乙酰-L-天冬氨酸和L-天冬氨酸水平介导了母亲产后抑郁症症状与婴儿解决问题能力发展之间的关系。
母亲产后抑郁症症状与婴儿肠道微生物群和神经发育的改变有关。本研究为对母亲患有产后抑郁症的婴儿进行潜在早期干预提供了新见解。有必要进一步研究以阐明这些关联背后的生物学机制。
