Gut microorganisms and the products of their metabolism thoroughly affect host brain development, function and behavior. Since alterations of brain plasticity and cognition have been demonstrated upon motor, sensorial and social enrichment of the housing conditions, we hypothesized that gut microbiota and metabolome could be altered by environmental stimuli, providing part of the missing link among environmental signals and brain effects. In this preliminary study, metagenomic and metabolomic analyses of mice housed in different environmental conditions, standard and enriched, identify environment-specific microbial communities and metabolic profiles. We show that mice housed in an enriched environment have distinctive microbiota composition with a reduction in gut bacterial richness and biodiversity and are characterized by a metabolomic fingerprint with the increase of formate and acetate and the decrease of bile salts. We demonstrate that mice treated with a mixture of formate and acetate recapitulate some of the brain plasticity effects modulated by environmental enrichment, such as hippocampal neurogenesis, neurotrophin production, short-term plasticity and cognitive behaviors, that can be further exploited to decipher the mechanisms involved in experience-dependent brain plasticity.

Short-chain fatty acids promote the effect of environmental signals on the gut microbiome and metabolome in mice

Cason, Carolina;Iebba, Valerio;
2022-01-01

Abstract

Gut microorganisms and the products of their metabolism thoroughly affect host brain development, function and behavior. Since alterations of brain plasticity and cognition have been demonstrated upon motor, sensorial and social enrichment of the housing conditions, we hypothesized that gut microbiota and metabolome could be altered by environmental stimuli, providing part of the missing link among environmental signals and brain effects. In this preliminary study, metagenomic and metabolomic analyses of mice housed in different environmental conditions, standard and enriched, identify environment-specific microbial communities and metabolic profiles. We show that mice housed in an enriched environment have distinctive microbiota composition with a reduction in gut bacterial richness and biodiversity and are characterized by a metabolomic fingerprint with the increase of formate and acetate and the decrease of bile salts. We demonstrate that mice treated with a mixture of formate and acetate recapitulate some of the brain plasticity effects modulated by environmental enrichment, such as hippocampal neurogenesis, neurotrophin production, short-term plasticity and cognitive behaviors, that can be further exploited to decipher the mechanisms involved in experience-dependent brain plasticity.
2022
Pubblicato
https://www.nature.com/articles/s42003-022-03468-9
File in questo prodotto:
File Dimensione Formato  
Short-chain fatty acids promote the effect of environmental signals on the gut microbiome and metabolome in mice.pdf

accesso aperto

Tipologia: Documento in Versione Editoriale
Licenza: Creative commons
Dimensione 3.17 MB
Formato Adobe PDF
3.17 MB Adobe PDF Visualizza/Apri
42003_2022_3468_MOESM2_ESM.pdf

accesso aperto

Descrizione: Supplementary material
Tipologia: Altro materiale allegato
Licenza: Digital Rights Management non definito
Dimensione 894.1 kB
Formato Adobe PDF
894.1 kB Adobe PDF Visualizza/Apri
42003_2022_3468_MOESM3_ESM.pdf

accesso aperto

Descrizione: Supplementary material
Tipologia: Altro materiale allegato
Licenza: Digital Rights Management non definito
Dimensione 54.32 kB
Formato Adobe PDF
54.32 kB Adobe PDF Visualizza/Apri
42003_2022_3468_MOESM4_ESM.pdf

accesso aperto

Descrizione: Supplementary material
Tipologia: Altro materiale allegato
Licenza: Digital Rights Management non definito
Dimensione 85.61 kB
Formato Adobe PDF
85.61 kB Adobe PDF Visualizza/Apri
42003_2022_3468_MOESM5_ESM.pdf

accesso aperto

Descrizione: Supplementary material
Tipologia: Altro materiale allegato
Licenza: Digital Rights Management non definito
Dimensione 50.17 kB
Formato Adobe PDF
50.17 kB Adobe PDF Visualizza/Apri
42003_2022_3468_MOESM7_ESM.pdf

accesso aperto

Descrizione: Supplementary material
Tipologia: Altro materiale allegato
Licenza: Digital Rights Management non definito
Dimensione 140.1 kB
Formato Adobe PDF
140.1 kB Adobe PDF Visualizza/Apri
42003_2022_3468_MOESM8_ESM.pdf

accesso aperto

Descrizione: Supplementary material
Tipologia: Altro materiale allegato
Licenza: Digital Rights Management non definito
Dimensione 70.11 kB
Formato Adobe PDF
70.11 kB Adobe PDF Visualizza/Apri
42003_2022_3468_MOESM9_ESM.pdf

accesso aperto

Descrizione: Supplementary material
Tipologia: Altro materiale allegato
Licenza: Digital Rights Management non definito
Dimensione 1.58 MB
Formato Adobe PDF
1.58 MB Adobe PDF Visualizza/Apri
Pubblicazioni consigliate

I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11368/3022271
Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? 7
  • Scopus 16
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? 15
social impact