Microbial and metabolic alterations in gut microbiota of sows during pregnancy and lactation

The gut microbiota plays a critical role in various physiologic processes; however, maternal microbial and metabolic changes during pregnancy and lactation remain elusive. Using pigs as an animal model, we conducted comparative analyses of gut microbiota and short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) profiles across different stages of gestation, lactation, and the empty (nonpregnancy) phase in 2 distinct breeds of sow, Rongchang (RS) and Landrace (LS). Coriobacteriaceae were found to gradually increase over gestational time irrespective of breed, which was further validated in an independent cohort of sows, indicating that Coriobacteriaceae are likely associated with the progression of pregnancy. Escherichia increased as well. Relative to empty and gestation, lactation was associated with an increase in SCFA producers and a concomitant augmentation in SCFA production in both breeds. A comparison between the 2 breeds revealed that Ruminococcaceae were more abundant in RSs than in LSs, consistent with the strong ability of Rongchang pigs to digest highly fibrous feedstuffs. Taken together, we revealed characteristic structural and metabolic changes in maternal gut microbiota throughout pregnancy, lactation, and the empty phase, which could potentially help improve the pregnancy and lactation outcomes for both animals and humans.-Liu, H., Hou, C., Li, N., Zhang, X., Zhang, G., Yang, F., Zeng, X., Liu, Z., Qiao, S. Microbial and metabolic alterations in gut microbiota of sows during pregnancy and lactation.