Dynamic interactions between gut microbiome and host lipidome in antenatal depression: a large longitudinal study

Area of Science:

• Reproductive Health
• Microbiome Research
• Metabolomics

Background:

• Antenatal depression (AD) impacts maternal and infant health.
• The interplay between the host lipidome, gut microbiome, and AD progression is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize temporal changes in the maternal lipidome and gut microbiome during pregnancy.
• To investigate the dynamic interactions between these factors and antenatal depression.

Main Methods:

• Longitudinal analysis of serum and fecal samples from 1086 pregnant women across trimesters.
• Identification of host lipids and gut microbial genera associated with AD.
• Integrative analysis of the microbiota-lipid axis in AD.

Main Results:

• 95 host lipids and 7 gut microbial genera were associated with AD.
• Lysophosphatidylethanolamines (LPEs) showed concordant associations with AD.
• Decreased Ruminococcus and Enterococcus preceded AD onset and correlated with LPEs and acylcarnitines (CARs).

Conclusions:

• Bidirectional crosstalk exists between the microbiota-lipid axis and AD.
• LPEs and medium- to long-chain CARs are key molecules in this axis.
• Findings provide insights into AD development and the pregnancy microbiota-lipid axis.