Vanderpeet Chelsea L, Dorey Emily S, Neal Elliott S, Mullins Thomas, McIntyre David H, Callaway Leonie K, Barrett Helen L, Dekker Nitert Marloes, Cuffe James S M
School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia.
Mater Research Institute, The University of Queensland, South Brisbane, QLD 4101, Australia.
Nutrients. 2025 Apr 1;17(7):1234. doi: 10.3390/nu17071234.
Dietary fibre promotes health, partly by mediating gut microbiota and short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) production. Pregnancy alters the relationship between dietary composition and the gut microbiota, and it is unclear if fibre intake during late pregnancy alters the abundance of SCFA bacteria and circulating SFCA concentrations. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of dietary fibre on faecal microbiome composition and circulating concentrations of SCFA acetate, butyrate, and propionate in late pregnancy. We also aimed to assess the impact of propionate treatment on placental function using cultured placental explants. 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing was performed on faecal DNA collected at 28 weeks of gestation from participants enrolled in the SPRING cohort study consuming a low or adequate fibre diet. Circualting SCFA were assessed. Placental explants were treated with sodium propionate. : Fibre intake did not impact microbial diversity or richness but did impact the abundance of specific bacterial genera. Pregnant participants with low-fibre diets had a greater abundance of and , and dietary fibre intake (mg/day) negatively correlated with genera, including , , and . SCFA concentrations did not differ between groups but circulating concentrations of acetate, propionate, and butyrate did correlate with the abundance of key bacterial genera. Propionate treatment of placental explants did not alter mRNA expression of fatty acid receptors, antioxidants, or markers of apoptosis, nor did it impact pAMPK levels. : This study demonstrates that the impact of dietary fibre on SCFA concentrations in pregnant women is modest, although this relationship may be difficult to discern given that other dietary factors differed between groups. Furthermore, this study demonstrates that propionate does not impact key pathways in placental tissue, suggesting that previous associations between this SCFA and placental dysfunction may be due to other maternal factors.
膳食纤维对健康有益，部分原因是它能调节肠道微生物群并促进短链脂肪酸（SCFA）的产生。怀孕会改变饮食成分与肠道微生物群之间的关系，目前尚不清楚妊娠晚期的膳食纤维摄入量是否会改变SCFA产生菌的丰度和循环中SCFA的浓度。本研究的目的是确定膳食纤维对妊娠晚期粪便微生物群组成以及SCFA乙酸盐、丁酸盐和丙酸盐循环浓度的影响。我们还旨在使用培养的胎盘外植体评估丙酸盐处理对胎盘功能的影响。对参与SPRING队列研究的孕妇在妊娠28周时收集的粪便DNA进行16S rRNA基因扩增子测序，这些孕妇食用低纤维或充足纤维饮食。评估循环中的SCFA。用丙酸钠处理胎盘外植体。结果显示：纤维摄入量并未影响微生物的多样性或丰富度，但确实影响了特定细菌属的丰度。低纤维饮食的孕妇体内 和 菌的丰度更高，膳食纤维摄入量（毫克/天）与包括 、 和 在内的菌属呈负相关。两组之间的SCFA浓度没有差异，但乙酸盐、丙酸盐和丁酸盐的循环浓度确实与关键细菌属的丰度相关。用丙酸盐处理胎盘外植体并未改变脂肪酸受体、抗氧化剂或凋亡标志物的mRNA表达，也未影响pAMPK水平。结论：本研究表明，膳食纤维对孕妇SCFA浓度的影响较小，尽管鉴于两组之间其他饮食因素存在差异，这种关系可能难以辨别。此外，本研究表明丙酸盐不会影响胎盘组织中的关键途径，这表明此前该SCFA与胎盘功能障碍之间的关联可能是由于其他母体因素。
