Maternal antibiotic treatment (MAT) during prenatal and intrapartum periods alter bacterial composition and diversity of the offspring's gut microbiota. The effect of MAT during pregnancy on the intestinal microbiota and its relationship with intestinal injury remain unknown. This study aims to investigate the effects of MAT during pregnancy on intestinal microbiota and intestinal development in neonatal mice.

Maternal antibiotic treatment (MAT) during prenatal and intrapartum periods alter bacterial composition and diversity of the offspring's gut microbiota. The effect of MAT during pregnancy on the intestinal microbiota and its relationship with intestinal injury remain unknown. This study aims to investigate the effects of MAT during pregnancy on intestinal microbiota and intestinal development in neonatal mice. We fed timed pregnant C57BL/6N mice sterile drinking water containing antibiotics from gestational day 15 to delivery. The control dams were fed sterile drinking water. Antibiotics were discontinued immediately after birth. On postnatal day 7, intestinal microbiota was sampled from lower gastrointestinal tract and ileum was harvested for histology and cytokines analysis. MAT during pregnancy significantly altered the gut microbiota composition of newborn mice compared with control newborn mice. The disruption of intestinal microbiota was associated increased intestinal injury and inflammation, inhibition of intestinal cellular proliferation and vascularization, and disruption of intestinal barrier in neonatal mice. Maternal antibiotic exposure during pregnancy disrupted intestinal microbiota and impaired intestinal development in neonatal mice. These results suggest that avoiding antibiotics during pregnancy and manipulating gut microbiota is a potential target for preventing and treating intestinal injury in infants exposed to prenatal antibiotics.