Life Lines

Interesting slices of life

Mother’s gut microbiome affects baby’s brain development
A recent study found that a mother’s gut microbiome during pregnancy influences her baby’s brain development. In mice, the presence of the bacteria Bifidobacterium breve in the mother’s gut supported healthy foetal brain development. Researchers observed that foetuses of mothers given Bifidobacterium breve had increased nutrient transport to the brain and positive changes in cell processes related to growth, compared to those whose mothers had no gut bacteria. Bifidobacterium breve is a beneficial bacteria found naturally in the gut and available as a probiotic supplement. Obesity and chronic stress can disrupt the gut microbiome in pregnant women, leading to foetal growth abnormalities. The study suggests that taking Bifidobacterium breve supplements during pregnancy may enhance foetal brain metabolism and support healthy baby development.
Source: Molecular Metabolism

Early antibiotic use
A new study has revealed how antibiotic-induced depletion of gut microbes in newborns can lead to lifelong respiratory allergies. Research indicates that immune system development starts early in life, with infant gut microbes playing a crucial role. Antibiotics given to newborns can reduce bacteria that produce butyrate, a compound essential for preventing allergies. Infants with fewer butyrate-producing bacteria are more prone to allergies. When antibiotics reduce these bacteria, butyrate levels drop, leading to increased immune cells called ILC2s, which trigger heightened immune responses and allergy symptoms. The study found that mice with depleted gut bacteria had twice as many ILC2s. However, supplementing with butyrate shortly after birth, within a few months for humans and a few weeks for mice, prevents ILC2 proliferation, reducing lifelong allergy susceptibility. This could lead to more effective treatments targeting the root causes of allergies, beyond just symptom relief with antihistamines and inhalers.
Source: Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology

Low cortisol and heightened stress response
Recent animal research suggests that proteins left behind by COVID-19 can lower brain cortisol levels, inflame the nervous system and heighten immune responses to stress. This study sheds light on the neurological symptoms of long COVID, affecting up to 35 per cent of those infected. Researchers found introducing COVID-19 antigens such as S1 spike protein into rats’ spinal fluid significantly reduced cortisol levels in the hippocampus. This drop in cortisol, crucial for managing inflammation and stress, may heighten inflammatory responses to additional stressors. These results align with low cortisol levels observed in people with long COVID and chronic fatigue syndrome. Rats exposed to the S1 protein reacted more intensely to immune stressors, with increased neuroinflammation. These results suggest that persistent COVID-19 antigens might lower cortisol levels, increasing vulnerability to symptoms such as fatigue, depression and brain fog.
Source: Brain, Behaviour and Immunity