Hypertension can originate in early life caused by perinatal high-fat (HF) consumption. Gut microbiota and their metabolites
short chain fatty acids (SCFAs),
trimethylamine (TMA), and
trimethylamine N-oxide (
TMAO) are involved in the development of
hypertension. Despite the beneficial effects of
prebiotic/probiotic on human health, little is known whether maternal use of
prebiotics/probiotics could protect offspring against the development of
hypertension in adulthood. We investigated whether perinatal HF diet-induced programmed
hypertension in adult offspring can be prevented by
therapeutic uses of
prebiotic inulin or probiotic Lactobacillus casei during gestation and lactation. Pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats received regular chow or HF diet (D12331, Research Diets), with 5% w/w long chain
inulin (PRE), or 2 × 108 CFU/day Lactobacillus casei via oral gavage (PRO) during pregnancy and lactation. Male offspring (n = 8/group) were assigned to four groups: control, HF, PRE, and PRO. Rats were sacrificed at 16 weeks of age. Maternal
prebiotic or probiotic
therapy prevents elevated blood pressure (BP) programmed by perinatal HF consumption. Both
prebiotic and probiotic
therapies decreased the Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes ratio and renal
mRNA expression of Ace, but increased abundance of genus Lactobacillus and Akkermansia. Additionally,
prebiotic treatment prevents HF-induced elevation of BP is associated with reduced fecal
propionate and
acetate levels, while probiotic
therapy restored several Lactobacillus species. Maternal probiotic or
prebiotic therapy caused a reduction in plasma
TMAO level and
TMAO-to-TMA ratio. The beneficial effects of
prebiotic or probiotic
therapy on elevated BP programmed by perinatal HF diet are relevant to alterations of microbial populations, modulation of microbial-derived metabolites, and mediation of the renin-angiotensin system. Our results cast a new light on the use of maternal
prebiotic/probiotic
therapy to prevent
hypertension programmed by perinatal HF consumption. The possibility of applying gut microbiota-targeted
therapies as a reprogramming strategy for
hypertension warrants further clinical translation.