Dynamic changes in gut microbiota during pregnancy among Chinese women and influencing factors: A prospective cohort study

Muxia Li; Guohua Zhang; Lijun Cui; Lin Zhang; Qian Zhou; Chenxue Mu; Ruixin Chi; Na Zhang; Guansheng Ma

doi:10.3389/fmicb.2023.1114228

Dynamic changes in gut microbiota during pregnancy among Chinese women and influencing factors: A prospective cohort study

Front Microbiol. 2023 Mar 29:14:1114228. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1114228. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Muxia Li¹, Guohua Zhang², Lijun Cui³, Lin Zhang⁴, Qian Zhou⁵, Chenxue Mu², Ruixin Chi¹, Na Zhang^{1

6}, Guansheng Ma^{1

6}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing, China.
² The Third Department of Obstetrics, Shijiazhuang Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Shijiazhuang, China.
³ The Seventh Department of Obstetrics, Shijiazhuang Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Shijiazhuang, China.
⁴ Department of Pediatrics, The Third Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China.
⁵ Department of Computer Science, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
⁶ Laboratory of Toxicological Research and Risk Assessment for Food Safety, Peking University, Beijing, China.

Abstract

Gut microbiota (GM) dynamics during pregnancy vary among different populations and are affected by many factors, such as living environments and diet. This study aims to observe and evaluate the changes in the structure and function of the GM from the first to the third trimester of pregnancy in Chinese women, and to explore the main factors affecting the changes in intestinal microecology. Fifty-five Chinese pregnant women were recruited for this study and their fecal samples were collected during the first (P1), second (P2), and third trimesters (P3) of pregnancy. We exploited metagenomic sequencing to compare the composition and function of the GM in different pregnancy periods. Bioinformatic analysis revealed that there were differences in the composition of the GM among P1, P2, and P3, as indicated by the increase in α-diversity and β-diversity of the GM and the differences in the relative abundances of distinct bacterial phyla. Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) was the main factor (P < 0.05) that affected the changes in GM at various stages of pregnancy. There were also disparities in the structure of the GM between the GDM group and non-GDM group in the P1, P2, and P3. The GDM group exhibited increased abundances in Ruminococcus_gnavus, Akkermansia_muciniphila, Alistipes_shahii, Blautia_obeum, and Roseburia_intestinalis; while, the abundances of Bacteroides coprocola, Bacteroides plebeius, Erysipelatoclostridium ramosum, and Prevotella copri were increased in the non-GDM group. Three of the four species enriched in the non-GDM group manifestied significantly negative correlations with the insulin-signaling pathway and lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis (r ≤ -0.3, adjusted P < 0.05). In the GDM group, Bacteroides vulgatus and Ruminococcus gnavus were significantly and positively correlated with insulin signaling pathway and lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis (r ≤ -0.3, adjusted P < 0.05) among the species enriched from early pregnancy. Virtually all of the species enriched in P2 and P3 were positively correlated with steroid hormone biosynthesis. These results suggest a potential role for the GM in the development of GDM, enabling the potential prevention of GDM by targeting the GM.

Keywords: dynamic changes; gestational diabetes mellitus; gut microbiota; metagenomics analysis; pregnancy.

Grants and funding

Danone Institute China provide fund for the project (Danone Nutrition Center Food Nutrition Research and Education Fund, No. DIC2019-06), which is an independent non-profit organization (www.danone.institute@danone-institute.org.cn). Danone Institute China does not participate in the design of the study and collection, analysis, and interpretation of data, writing the manuscript and submitting for publication. They do not have ultimate authority over any of these activities.