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THE MATERNAL GUT MICROBIOTA SHAPES NEUROVASCULAR DEVELOPMENT IN MICE
Alexandre Cergneuxand 11 co-authors
APC Microbiome Ireland
FENS Forum 2026 (2026)
Barcelona, Spain
Board PS05-09AM-551
Presentation
Date TBA
Board: PS05-09AM-551
Event Information
Poster Board
PS05-09AM-551
Poster
View posterAbstract
Brain vasculature is essential for supplying oxygen and nutrients to every brain cell, orchestrating neuroglial-vascular development, and forming the blood-brain barrier (BBB). During the prenatal period, the vascular and nervous systems develop in parallel. While emerging evidence links perinatal perturbations of the maternal gut microbiota to abnormal brain function and behaviour in offspring, its role in developmental angiogenesis and neurovascular maturation remains largely unexplored.
We investigated the effects of maternal gut microbiota modulation during gestation on neurovascular development in the embryonic cortex of mice using two different models: dams were either treated with a broad-spectrum antibiotic cocktail one week before and throughout pregnancy to deplete the gut microbiota, or they were raised and maintained in germ-free conditions. Neurovascular features were analysed in embryonic day 15 offspring. Maternal microbiota disruption led to increased functional permeability of the embryonic brain barrier. This was associated with increased pericyte coverage in males. In females, maternal microbiota depletion reduced cortical vessel tortuosity, whereas in males, vessel density showed a trend toward reduction, despite no differences in branching points. Several microbiota-derived metabolites reduced in both maternal plasma and embryonic cerebrospinal fluid improved mouse brain endothelial barrier properties in vitro, suggesting a mechanistic link between maternal microbiota composition and embryonic BBB development.
We investigated the effects of maternal gut microbiota modulation during gestation on neurovascular development in the embryonic cortex of mice using two different models: dams were either treated with a broad-spectrum antibiotic cocktail one week before and throughout pregnancy to deplete the gut microbiota, or they were raised and maintained in germ-free conditions. Neurovascular features were analysed in embryonic day 15 offspring. Maternal microbiota disruption led to increased functional permeability of the embryonic brain barrier. This was associated with increased pericyte coverage in males. In females, maternal microbiota depletion reduced cortical vessel tortuosity, whereas in males, vessel density showed a trend toward reduction, despite no differences in branching points. Several microbiota-derived metabolites reduced in both maternal plasma and embryonic cerebrospinal fluid improved mouse brain endothelial barrier properties in vitro, suggesting a mechanistic link between maternal microbiota composition and embryonic BBB development.
Together, our findings suggest that maternal gut microbiota-dependent signalling contributes critically to embryonic neurovascular development and highlight the importance of maternal-microbial interactions in shaping early brain development, with potential long-term implications for offspring neurodevelopmental health.
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