Deciphering: how an inflammatory molecule acts in the fetal brain.
Published in The Journal of Immunology , this research focuses on a molecule well-known to immunologists: interleukin-17a (IL-17a). Generally associated with conditions such as psoriasis or multiple sclerosis, it could also have an impact on neurological development before birth. To test this, scientists worked with pregnant mice. The result: those whose gut microbiota was more likely to trigger an inflammatory response (and, therefore, to produce more IL-17a) gave birth to offspring whose behavior resembled that observed in autism: stereotypies , social avoidance, etc. This surprising indication suggests that the mother’s bacterial environment could play a significant role long before birth.
Fecal transplant: a revolutionary experiment.
To confirm this hypothesis, the researchers took the experiment even further. They performed a fecal transplant between mice, thus transferring the gut microbiota from one individual to another. The result was unequivocal: the recipient mice, which inherited a pro-inflammatory gut microbiota, developed autism-like behaviors. This suggests that the maternal gut microbiota, by modifying the infant ‘s immune system , could influence brain development. This hypothesis is still in the exploratory phase, but it sheds new light on mechanisms that have long remained unknown.
