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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Microorganisms in Vertebrate Digestive Systems
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1465673
This article is part of the Research Topic Innovative Therapeutic Strategies Targeting Early-Life Gut Microbiota: Pathways to Long-Term Health Benefits View all 10 articles

Electroacupuncture may protect pulmonary dysplasia in offspring with perinatal nicotine exposure by altering maternal gut microbiota and metabolites

Provisionally accepted
Yana Xie Yana Xie 1,2Yang Fang Yang Fang 2Yitian Liu Yitian Liu 2Ji Bo Ji Bo 2*Reiko Sakurai Reiko Sakurai 3Fei Fei Fei Fei 2Hewen Li Hewen Li 2Ling Zhang Ling Zhang 2Wu Le Wu Le 2Tingting Guo Tingting Guo 2Ye Quan Ye Quan 2Virender K Rehan Virender K Rehan 3
  • 1 Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
  • 2 School of Acupuncture-Moxibustion and Tuina, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
  • 3 David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background Perinatal nicotine exposure (PNE) induces pulmonary dysplasia in offspring and it increases the risk of respiratory diseases both in offspring and across generations. The maternal gut microbiota and its metabolites, such as short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), can regulate fetal lung development and are susceptible to nicotine exposure. Therefore, modulation of PNE-induced changes in maternal gut microbiota and SCFAs may prevent the occurrence of pulmonary dysplasia in offspring. Objective: Our previous studies demonstrated that electroacupuncture (EA) ameliorated PNE-induced impairment in offspring lung development. To further our study, we aimed to determine whether the protective effect of EA is associated with the modulation of changes in maternal gut microbiota and SCFAs. Methods We observed changes in maternal gut microbiota and serum SCFA levels in both mother and offspring after EA treatment using a PNE rat model. Furthermore, using broad-spectrum antibiotics, we established a pseudo-germ-free PNE rat model to explore whether EA can protect offspring’s pulmonary function and lung morphology in the presence of depleted maternal gut microbiota. Results Our study revealed that EA increased the community richness (Sobs index) of perinatal nicotine-exposed maternal gut microbiota and the abundance of beneficial bacteria (RF39, Clostridia, Oscillospirales, etc.). This was accompanied by an upregulated serum levels of acetate, butyrate, and total SCFAs in both mother and offspring rats, as well as stimulated expression of SCFA receptors (GPR41 and GPR43) in the lung tissue of offspring rats. However, the beneficial effects of EA on offspring pulmonary function (FVC, PEF, PIF, and Cdyn) and lung morphology (alveolar number and MLI) were lost after maternal gut microbiota depletion. Conclusions These findings suggest that EA may exert its therapeutic effects on PNE-induced lung phenotype by altering maternal gut microbiota. The likely mechanism involves the associated improvement in serum SCFA levels in both mother and offspring, as well as the upregulation of SCFA receptors in the lung tissue of offspring.

    Keywords: Electroacupuncture, perinatal nicotine exposure, Pulmonary dysplasia, Gut Microbiota, short-chain fatty acids

    Received: 23 Aug 2024; Accepted: 19 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Xie, Fang, Liu, Bo, Sakurai, Fei, Li, Zhang, Le, Guo, Quan and Rehan. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Ji Bo, School of Acupuncture-Moxibustion and Tuina, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, 100029, China

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