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Bile acids drive the newborn’s gut microbiota maturation

Nature Communications, vol. 11, pp. 3692

Abstract

Following birth, the neonatal intestine is exposed to maternal and environmental bacteria that successively form a dense and highly dynamic intestinal microbiota. Whereas the effect of exogenous factors has been extensively investigated, endogenous, host-mediated mechanisms have remained largely unexplored. Concomitantly with microbial colonization, the liver undergoes functional transition from a hematopoietic organ to a central organ of metabolic regulation and immune surveillance. The aim of the present study was to analyze the influence of the developing hepatic function and liver metabolism on the early intestinal microbiota. Here, we report on the characterization of the colonization dynamics and liver metabolism in the murine gastrointestinal tract (n = 6-10 per age group) using metabolomic and microbial profiling in combination with multivariate analysis. We observed major age-dependent microbial and metabolic changes and identified bile acids as potent drivers of the early intestinal microbiota maturation. Consistently, oral administration of tauro-cholic acid or β-tauro-murocholic acid to newborn mice (n = 7-14 per group) accelerated postnatal microbiota maturation.

Authors 10

  1. RWTH Aachen University · Universitätsklinikum Aachen · Maastricht University

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Medical Microbiology, School of Nutrition and Translational Research in Metabolism (NUTRIM), Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands

    Institute of Medical Microbiology, RWTH University Hospital Aachen, RWTH University, Aachen, Germany

  2. Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Molecular Systems Biology, UFZ-Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Leipzig, Germany

  3. RWTH Aachen University · Universitätsklinikum Aachen · Maastricht University

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of General Surgery, NUTRIM, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands

    Department of General, Visceral and Transplantation Surgery, RWTH University Hospital Aachen, Aachen, Germany

  4. Medizinische Hochschule Hannover

    Affiliation as printed

    Institute for Laboratory Animal Science, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany

  5. RWTH Aachen University · Universitätsklinikum Aachen · Maastricht University

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of General Surgery, NUTRIM, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands

    Department of General, Visceral and Transplantation Surgery, RWTH University Hospital Aachen, Aachen, Germany

  6. Medizinische Hochschule Hannover

    Affiliation as printed

    Institute for Laboratory Animal Science, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany

  7. Maastricht University

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Medical Microbiology, School of Nutrition and Translational Research in Metabolism (NUTRIM), Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands

  8. Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research · Leipzig University

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Molecular Systems Biology, UFZ-Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Leipzig, Germany

    Institute of Biochemistry, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany

  9. Maastricht University

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Medical Microbiology, School of Nutrition and Translational Research in Metabolism (NUTRIM), Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands. j.penders@maastrichtuniversity.nl

    School of Public Health and Primary Care, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands. j.penders@maastrichtuniversity.nl

    Department of Medical Microbiology, School of Nutrition and Translational Research in Metabolism (NUTRIM), Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands

  10. RWTH Aachen University · Universitätsklinikum Aachen

    Affiliation as printed

    Institute of Medical Microbiology, RWTH University Hospital Aachen, RWTH University, Aachen, Germany. mhornef@ukaachen.de

    Institute of Medical Microbiology, RWTH University Hospital Aachen, RWTH University, Aachen, Germany

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References 70