Diabetology (Sep 2024)

A Pilot Study on the Fecal Microbiota in Mexican Women with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus and Their Newborns

  • Dennise Lizárraga,
  • Alejandra García-Gasca,
  • Teresa García-Gasca,
  • Gertrud Lund,
  • Abraham Guerrero,
  • Efrén Peraza-Manjarrez,
  • Bruno Gómez-Gil

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/diabetology5050034
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 5, no. 5
pp. 464 – 475

Abstract

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Introduction: The gut microbiota plays important roles in physiological and immune processes. Some metabolic disorders and complications during pregnancy, such as gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), have been associated with alterations in the gut microbiota. The aim of this study was to characterize alterations in fecal microbiota (as a non-invasive proxy of the gut microbiota) by 16S rRNA (V3-V4) taxonomic fingerprinting in Mexican women with GDM and their newborns. Methods: A total of 17 pregnant women (GDM = 8 and control = 9) were recruited between April 2021 and August 2022, and fecal samples were collected in the third trimester of gestation and during cesarean section. A total of 16 newborns (GDM = 8 and control = 8) participated in the study; meconium samples were taken immediately after birth. Results: The maternal microbiota (both at the third trimester and cesarean section) exhibited higher alpha diversity and a different bacterial community structure compared to that of their newborns. The maternal fecal microbiota of the third trimester from the GDM group showed a significant increase in the abundance of Firmicutes, Lachnospiraceae, Ruminococcaceae, Blautia, Rosebura, and Faecalibacterium, and a significant decrease in Peptostreptococcaceae, Anaerococcus, and Finegoldia, compared to the control group; these taxa correlated with blood glucose levels (except for Ruminococcaceae) but not with body mass index (BMI). No significant differences were observed between GDM and control groups in the relative abundance of maternal fecal microbiota collected in the cesarean section. The meconium microbiota of newborns from mothers with GDM showed a significant increase in Faecalibacterium compared with newborns from normoglycemic mothers and correlated with the mothers’ BMI and fasting glucose levels. Conclusions: The results indicate that GDM is associated with alterations in the fecal microbiota of women with GDM in the third trimester, in particular, with taxa known to be associated with metabolic disorders and other types of diabetes, and modifications in the meconium microbiota of their newborns.

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