Sex-Specific Long-Term Effects of Perinatal Limosilactobacillus reuteri on Social Cognition, Gene Expression, and Gut Microbiota.

ABSTRACT: Recent research highlights the potential of early-life probiotic interventions to promote brain health later in life. In this study, we investigated the long-term effects of Limosilactobacillus reuteri (L. reuteri) supplementation during a critical perinatal window (gestational Day 6 to postnatal Day 7) on behavioral, molecular, and gut microbiota outcomes in adult male and female BALB/c mice. Perinatal L. reuteri supplementation led to significant and lasting improvements in sociability, social recognition, and gut microbiota composition in male offspring. These changes were accompanied by increased gene expression of the anti-inflammatory cytokine Il10 in both the striatum and colon of male offspring. Notably, expression of the oxytocin receptor (Oxtr), a key regulator of social and anxi

SUBMITTER: Siegler Lathrop T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12362329 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature