Potential pathobionts in vaginal microbiota are affected by fish oil and/or probiotics intervention in overweight and obese pregnant women

Abstract

<div><p>New means to stabilize the microbial balance during pregnancy could benefit maternal health. Our objectives were to investigate in overweight/obese pregnant women 1) the impact of long-chain <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/polyunsaturated-fatty-acid" title="Learn more about polyunsaturated fatty acids from ScienceDirect's AI-generated Topic Pages">polyunsaturated fatty acids</a> (fish oil) and/or <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/probiotic-agent" title="Learn more about probiotics from ScienceDirect's AI-generated Topic Pages">probiotics</a> on the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/pharmacology-toxicology-and-pharmaceutical-science/vagina-flora" title="Learn more about vaginal microbiota from ScienceDirect's AI-generated Topic Pages">vaginal microbiota</a>, 2) its relation to <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/gestational-diabetes" title="Learn more about gestational diabetes mellitus from ScienceDirect's AI-generated Topic Pages">gestational diabetes mellitus</a> (GDM) and 3) its interaction with vaginal active matrix metalloproteinase-8 (aMMP-8) and serum high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and phosphorylated insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-1 (phIGFBP-1), IGFBP-1 and aMMP-8.<br></p><p>The women were allocated to fish oil + placebo, probiotics + placebo, fish oil + probiotics and placebo + placebo-groups, from <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/first-trimester-pregnancy" title="Learn more about early pregnancy from ScienceDirect's AI-generated Topic Pages">early pregnancy</a> onwards (fish oil: 1.9 g <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/docosahexaenoic-acid" title="Learn more about docosahexaenoic acid from ScienceDirect's AI-generated Topic Pages">docosahexaenoic acid</a> and 0.22 g <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/icosapentaenoic-acid" title="Learn more about eicosapentaenoic acid from ScienceDirect's AI-generated Topic Pages">eicosapentaenoic acid</a>; probiotics: <em>Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus</em> HN001 (formerly <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/lactobacillus" title="Learn more about Lactobacillus from ScienceDirect's AI-generated Topic Pages">Lactobacillus</a> rhamnosus HN001) and <em><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/bifidobacterium-animalis" title="Learn more about Bifidobacterium animalis from ScienceDirect's AI-generated Topic Pages">Bifidobacterium animalis</a></em> ssp. <em>lactis</em> 420, 10¹⁰ colony-forming units each). Vaginal and serum samples (early pregnancy, n = 112; <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/third-trimester-pregnancy" title="Learn more about late pregnancy from ScienceDirect's AI-generated Topic Pages">late pregnancy</a>, n = 116), were analyzed for vaginal microbiota using <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/rna-16s" title="Learn more about 16S rRNA from ScienceDirect's AI-generated Topic Pages">16S rRNA</a> gene <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/amplicon" title="Learn more about amplicon from ScienceDirect's AI-generated Topic Pages">amplicon</a> sequencing and vaginal aMMP-8 and serum hsCRP, aMMP-8, phIGFBP-1 and IGFBP-1 by <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/immunoassay" title="Learn more about immunoassays from ScienceDirect's AI-generated Topic Pages">immunoassays</a>. GDM was diagnosed from a 2-h 75 g <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/oral-glucose-tolerance-test" title="Learn more about OGTT from ScienceDirect's AI-generated Topic Pages">OGTT</a>. ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01922791.</p><p>The intervention exerted effects on many low-abundant bacteria. Compared to the placebo-group, there was a lower abundance of potential pathobionts, namely <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/ureaplasma" title="Learn more about Ureaplasma from ScienceDirect's AI-generated Topic Pages">Ureaplasma</a> urealyticum in the fish oil-group, <em>Ureaplasma, U. urealyticum</em> and <em><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/prevotella" title="Learn more about Prevotella from ScienceDirect's AI-generated Topic Pages">Prevotella</a></em><em> disiens</em> in the probiotics-group, <em><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/dialister" title="Learn more about Dialister from ScienceDirect's AI-generated Topic Pages">Dialister</a></em><em> invisus</em> and <em>Prevotella timonensis</em> in the fish oil + probiotics-group. Moreover, probiotics decreased the abundance of a few potential pathobionts during pregnancy. Many bacteria were related to GDM. The vaginal aMMP-8 level correlated significantly with α-diversity and inversely with two <em>Lactobacillus</em> species.</p><p>Dietary interventions, especially probiotics, may have beneficial effects on the vaginal microbiota during pregnancy.</p></div>