Butyrate, but not Propionate, Rescues Maternal Diet-Induced Neurocognitive Deficits in Offspring

Fiber diet plays a beneficial role in neurocognitive disorders, like dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease. However, insufficient fiber consumption in public increases the concern about public health, particularly about neurocognitive diseases. To survey the association between fiber dietary and neurocognitive performances, mice were subjected to normal-fiber diet or low-fiber diet during gestation, and the neurocognitive functions of the offspring were assessed. We found that maternal low-fiber diet impaired the cognitive functions, and the impairments can be reversed by butyrate, rather than propionate intake. Mechanism studies showed that HDAC4 might become the most potential mediator in butyrate-dependent neurocognitive improvement. Besides, using human maternal serum and paired umbilical cord blood samples, we demonstrated that the SCFA levels in offspring are positively correlated with levels in maternal serum. Those results provide a solid basis for not only maternal fiber diet regulates neurocognitive functions in offspring through altering SCFA levels, but clinical practice in SCFAs-dependent maternal intervention for offspring health. Examination of intestinal microbiota in normal mice and low-fiber mice using 16S rDNA.