Gut microbiota-derived cholic acid mediates neonatal brain immaturity and white matter injury under chronic hypoxia

Summary: Chronic hypoxia, common in neonates, disrupts gut microbiota balance, which is crucial for brain development. This study utilized cyanotic congenital heart disease (CCHD) patients and a neonatal hypoxic rat model to explore the association. Both hypoxic rats and CCHD infants exhibited brain...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Yichen Yan, Xiaoli Zheng, Gang Liu, Guocheng Shi, Cong Li, Hongtong Chen, Xiaomin He, Kana Lin, Zhaohui Deng, Hao Zhang, Wei-Guang Li, Huiwen Chen, Xiaoping Tong, Zhongqun Zhu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2024-05-01
Series:iScience
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589004224008551
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Summary:Summary: Chronic hypoxia, common in neonates, disrupts gut microbiota balance, which is crucial for brain development. This study utilized cyanotic congenital heart disease (CCHD) patients and a neonatal hypoxic rat model to explore the association. Both hypoxic rats and CCHD infants exhibited brain immaturity, white matter injury (WMI), brain inflammation, and motor/learning deficits. Through 16s rRNA sequencing and metabolomic analysis, a reduction in B. thetaiotaomicron and P. distasonis was identified, leading to cholic acid accumulation. This accumulation triggered M1 microglial activation and inflammation-induced WMI. Administration of these bacteria rescued cholic acid-induced WMI in hypoxic rats. These findings suggest that gut microbiota-derived cholic acid mediates neonatal WMI and brain inflammation, contributing to brain immaturity under chronic hypoxia. Therapeutic targeting of these bacteria provides a non-invasive intervention for chronic hypoxia patients.
ISSN:2589-0042