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Published on: January 27, 2019
Molecular Mechanism of Microbiota Metabolites in Preterm Birth: Pathological and Therapeutic Insights
AbuZar Ansari1, Shambhunath Bose2, Youngah You1
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ewha Medical Research Institute, College of Medicine, Ewha Womans University, Mokdong Hospital, Seoul 07985, Korea.
Insights
Maternal microbial dysbiosis disrupts metabolic homeostasis, potentially leading to preterm birth (PTB). Understanding microbiota-generated metabolites is key to developing novel therapeutic strategies for PTB.
Area of Science:
- Reproductive biology
- Microbiome research
- Maternal-fetal medicine
Background:
- Preterm birth (PTB) before 37 weeks of gestation is a global health challenge.
- PTB involves complex molecular mechanisms and multifactorial dysregulation.
- Maternal microbial dysbiosis impacts fetal development and birth outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the pathological and therapeutic roles of microbiota-generated metabolites in PTB.
- To elucidate the molecular mechanisms linking microbial dysbiosis to PTB.
- To explore potential therapeutic avenues targeting the maternal microbiome.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of recent research on PTB and the maternal microbiome.
- Analysis of molecular mechanisms underlying PTB.
- Focus on microbiota-generated metabolites and their contribution to PTB.
Main Results:
- Maternal microbial dysbiosis can dysregulate host homeostasis and fetal development.
- Metabolic dysregulation in maternal or fetal membranes stimulates inflammatory cytokines, progressing PTB.
- The precise molecular pathways by which microbial dysbiosis regulates PTB remain under investigation.
Conclusions:
- Microbiota-generated metabolites play a significant role in the pathology of PTB.
- Targeting microbial dysbiosis and its metabolites offers potential therapeutic strategies for PTB.
- Further research is needed to fully understand the molecular mechanisms involved.
Abstract:
Preterm birth (PTB) refers to the birth of infants before 37 weeks of gestation and is a challenging issue worldwide. Evidence reveals that PTB is a multifactorial dysregulation mediated by a complex molecular mechanism. Thus, a better understanding of the complex molecular mechanisms underlying PTB is a prerequisite to explore effective therapeutic approaches. During early pregnancy, various physiological and metabolic changes occur as a result of endocrine and immune metabolism. The microbiota controls the physiological and metabolic mechanism of the host homeostasis, and dysbiosis of maternal microbial homeostasis dysregulates the mechanistic of fetal developmental processes and directly affects the birth outcome. Accumulating evidence indicates that metabolic dysregulation in the maternal or fetal membranes stimulates the inflammatory cytokines, which may positively progress the PTB. Although labour is regarded as an inflammatory process, it is still unclear how microbial dysbiosis could regulate the molecular mechanism of PTB. In this review based on recent research, we focused on both the pathological and therapeutic contribution of microbiota-generated metabolites to PTB and the possible molecular mechanisms.
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