Exposure to ambient air pollution over developmental stages induced neurodevelopmental impairment in mice offspring via microbiome-gut-brain axis
Abstract Exposure to air pollution has been increasingly recognized as a risk factor for neurodevelopmental disorders, and gut microbiome may play a critical role. However, current evidence still remains scarce. In the present study, mice were exposed to real-time ambient air pollution from concepti...
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BMC
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Particle and Fibre Toxicology |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12989-025-00637-6 |
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| author | Zijun Yang Yi Zhang Shanshan Ran Jingyi Zhang Yonggui Gao Yali Zhang Xinyue Li Baozhuo Ai Shengtao Wei Fei Tian Guang Jia Hualiang Lin Zhangjian Chen Zilong Zhang |
| author_facet | Zijun Yang Yi Zhang Shanshan Ran Jingyi Zhang Yonggui Gao Yali Zhang Xinyue Li Baozhuo Ai Shengtao Wei Fei Tian Guang Jia Hualiang Lin Zhangjian Chen Zilong Zhang |
| author_sort | Zijun Yang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Exposure to air pollution has been increasingly recognized as a risk factor for neurodevelopmental disorders, and gut microbiome may play a critical role. However, current evidence still remains scarce. In the present study, mice were exposed to real-time ambient air pollution from conception through young adulthood, with neurobehavioral performance and gut microbiome being assessed across different developmental stages. Neurodevelopmental changes including emotional and cognitive impairments were observed in behavioral tests, accompanied by pathological and inflammation changes in brain, which were more pronounced in adolescence than in young adulthood. Alterations in the compositions and functions of gut microbiome were also revealed by fecal metagenomic sequencing. Mediation analysis showed that gut microbiome alterations significantly contributed to the observed neurodevelopmental changes induced by air pollution. Furthermore, after antibiotic (ABX) intervention, the observed neurobehavioral, pathological and inflammatory differences between the exposed and control groups diminished. These findings indicate that the gut microbiome mediates the neurodevelopmental damage caused by exposure to air pollution during developmental stages, adding novel insights on the underlying mechanisms linking air pollution and neurodevelopmental disorders. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-cddcfc03c1c94e3eb20ee56c8bb42dbe |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1743-8977 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Particle and Fibre Toxicology |
| spelling | doaj-art-cddcfc03c1c94e3eb20ee56c8bb42dbe2025-08-20T03:04:11ZengBMCParticle and Fibre Toxicology1743-89772025-07-0122111610.1186/s12989-025-00637-6Exposure to ambient air pollution over developmental stages induced neurodevelopmental impairment in mice offspring via microbiome-gut-brain axisZijun Yang0Yi Zhang1Shanshan Ran2Jingyi Zhang3Yonggui Gao4Yali Zhang5Xinyue Li6Baozhuo Ai7Shengtao Wei8Fei Tian9Guang Jia10Hualiang Lin11Zhangjian Chen12Zilong Zhang13Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen UniversityDepartment of Occupational and Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, Peking UniversityDepartment of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen UniversityDepartment of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen UniversityDepartment of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen UniversityDepartment of Occupational and Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, Peking UniversityDepartment of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen UniversityDepartment of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen UniversityDepartment of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen UniversityDepartment of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen UniversityDepartment of Occupational and Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, Peking UniversityDepartment of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen UniversityDepartment of Occupational and Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, Peking UniversityDepartment of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen UniversityAbstract Exposure to air pollution has been increasingly recognized as a risk factor for neurodevelopmental disorders, and gut microbiome may play a critical role. However, current evidence still remains scarce. In the present study, mice were exposed to real-time ambient air pollution from conception through young adulthood, with neurobehavioral performance and gut microbiome being assessed across different developmental stages. Neurodevelopmental changes including emotional and cognitive impairments were observed in behavioral tests, accompanied by pathological and inflammation changes in brain, which were more pronounced in adolescence than in young adulthood. Alterations in the compositions and functions of gut microbiome were also revealed by fecal metagenomic sequencing. Mediation analysis showed that gut microbiome alterations significantly contributed to the observed neurodevelopmental changes induced by air pollution. Furthermore, after antibiotic (ABX) intervention, the observed neurobehavioral, pathological and inflammatory differences between the exposed and control groups diminished. These findings indicate that the gut microbiome mediates the neurodevelopmental damage caused by exposure to air pollution during developmental stages, adding novel insights on the underlying mechanisms linking air pollution and neurodevelopmental disorders.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12989-025-00637-6PM2.5Real-time exposureEarly-lifeDevelopmental stagesNeurodevelopmental impairmentBehavioral experiment |
| spellingShingle | Zijun Yang Yi Zhang Shanshan Ran Jingyi Zhang Yonggui Gao Yali Zhang Xinyue Li Baozhuo Ai Shengtao Wei Fei Tian Guang Jia Hualiang Lin Zhangjian Chen Zilong Zhang Exposure to ambient air pollution over developmental stages induced neurodevelopmental impairment in mice offspring via microbiome-gut-brain axis Particle and Fibre Toxicology PM2.5 Real-time exposure Early-life Developmental stages Neurodevelopmental impairment Behavioral experiment |
| title | Exposure to ambient air pollution over developmental stages induced neurodevelopmental impairment in mice offspring via microbiome-gut-brain axis |
| title_full | Exposure to ambient air pollution over developmental stages induced neurodevelopmental impairment in mice offspring via microbiome-gut-brain axis |
| title_fullStr | Exposure to ambient air pollution over developmental stages induced neurodevelopmental impairment in mice offspring via microbiome-gut-brain axis |
| title_full_unstemmed | Exposure to ambient air pollution over developmental stages induced neurodevelopmental impairment in mice offspring via microbiome-gut-brain axis |
| title_short | Exposure to ambient air pollution over developmental stages induced neurodevelopmental impairment in mice offspring via microbiome-gut-brain axis |
| title_sort | exposure to ambient air pollution over developmental stages induced neurodevelopmental impairment in mice offspring via microbiome gut brain axis |
| topic | PM2.5 Real-time exposure Early-life Developmental stages Neurodevelopmental impairment Behavioral experiment |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12989-025-00637-6 |
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