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Updated: Nov 29, 2025
Probiotic Studies in Neonatal Mice Using Gavage
Published on: January 27, 2019
Perinatal environment shapes microbiota colonization and infant growth: impact on host response and intestinal
M Selma-Royo1, M Calatayud Arroyo1, I García-Mantrana1
1Institute of Agrochemistry and Food Technology (IATA-CSIC), Spanish National Research council, 46980, Valencia, Spain.
Insights
Birth mode and place significantly impact infant gut microbiota, influencing immune development and intestinal maturation. These early-life microbial changes may affect long-term infant health and metabolic outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Microbiome research
- Infant immunology
- Developmental biology
Background:
- Early microbial colonization is crucial for intestinal maturation and immune priming in infants.
- Perinatal factors, including mode and place of delivery, critically shape the infant gut microbiota.
- These early microbial shifts have potential long-term health consequences.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the gut microbiota profile of infants based on birth mode and place.
- To assess the impact of these microbial differences on intestinal function and immune response using in vitro models.
- To investigate the long-term effects on infant growth parameters.
Main Methods:
- 16S rRNA gene sequencing of gut microbiota from 180 healthy infants at multiple time points.
- Collection of breastfeeding habits and clinical data up to 18 months.
- Utilized in vitro models of intestinal epithelium and innate immune system.
Main Results:
- Mode and place of delivery significantly shaped microbiota profiles, impacting immune response and intestinal function.
- Cesarean section (CS) infants showed decreased Bacteroidetes and Bifidobacterium, with higher BMI z-scores.
- Home-birth microbiota promoted stronger epithelial barrier function and immune response in simulated models.
Conclusions:
- Birth mode and place influence neonatal gut microbiota composition.
- This microbial shaping affects intestinal epithelium maturation, barrier function, and innate immune system control.
- Early-life microbial-host interactions can influence infant metabolic processes and phenotypic responses.
Background:
Early microbial colonization triggers processes that result in intestinal maturation and immune priming. Perinatal factors, especially those associated with birth, including both mode and place of delivery are critical to shaping the infant gut microbiota with potential health consequences.
Methods:
Gut microbiota profile of 180 healthy infants (n = 23 born at home and n = 157 born in hospital, 41.7% via cesarean section [CS]) was analyzed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing at birth, 7 days, and 1 month of life. Breastfeeding habits and infant clinical data, including length, weight, and antibiotic exposure, were collected up to 18 months of life. Long-term personalized in vitro models of the intestinal epithelium and innate immune system were used to assess the link between gut microbiota composition, intestinal function, and immune response.
Results:
Microbiota profiles were shaped by the place and mode of delivery, and they had a distinct biological impact on the immune response and intestinal function in epithelial/immune cell models. Bacteroidetes and Bifidobacterium genus were decreased in C-section infants, who showed higher z-scores BMI and W/L during the first 18 months of life. Intestinal simulated epithelium had a stronger epithelial barrier function and intestinal maturation, alongside a higher immunological response (TLR4 route activation and pro-inflammatory cytokine release), when exposed to home-birth fecal supernatants, compared with CS. Distinct host response could be associated with different microbiota profiles.
Conclusions:
Mode and place of birth influence the neonatal gut microbiota, likely shaping its interplay with the host through the maturation of the intestinal epithelium, regulation of the intestinal epithelial barrier, and control of the innate immune system during early life, which can affect the phenotypic responses linked to metabolic processes in infants.
Trial Registration:
NCT03552939 . Video Abstract.
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