Diversified gut microbiota in newborns of mothers with gestational diabetes mellitus

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), a high-risk pregnancy complication of great effect on the perinatal health of women and newborns, may cause changes of gut microbiota in mothers and further affect gut microbiota in newborns. This study aimed to investigate the potential effect of mother GDM on newborns’ gut microbiota. Meconium DNA was extracted from a total of 34 full-term and C-sectioned newborns, in which 20 newborns had mothers diagnosed with GDM, while 14 had unaffected mothers. Sequencing and bioinformatics analysis of 16S rRNA indicated that the gut microbiota of GDM newborns showed differences compared to control newborns. The taxonomy analyses suggested that the overall bacterial content significantly differed by maternal diabetes status, with the microbiome of the GDM group showing lower alpha-diversity than that of control group. The phyla of Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria in GDM newborns increased, while that of Bacteroidetes significantly reduced (P<0.05). Moreover, several unique gut microbiota in phylum of Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Chloroflexi, Acidobacteria, and Planctomycetes found in control newborns were absent in GDM ones. At genus level, the relative abundance of Prevotella and Lactobacillus significantly decreased (P<0.05) in GDM newborns. Correlation analysis indicated that maternal fasting glucose levels were positively correlated with the relative abundance of phylum Actinobacteria and genus Acinetobacter, while negatively correlated with that of phylum Bacteroidetes and genus Prevotella. However, bacteria in GDM grade A2 (GDM_A2) newborns did not show any statistical variation compared to those from control newborns, which might be attributed to the additional intervention by insulin. The results of this study have important implications for understanding the potential effects of GDM on the gut microbiota of newborns and thus possibly their metabolism at later stages in their lives.