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Review
. 2024 Jun 13;16(12):1860.
doi: 10.3390/nu16121860.

Placental Epigenome Impacts Fetal Development: Effects of Maternal Nutrients and Gut Microbiota

Sanjay Basak  1 , Rahul Mallick  2 , Boga Navya Sree  1 , Asim K Duttaroy  3
Affiliations
Review

Placental Epigenome Impacts Fetal Development: Effects of Maternal Nutrients and Gut Microbiota

Sanjay Basak et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

Evidence is emerging on the role of maternal diet, gut microbiota, and other lifestyle factors in establishing lifelong health and disease, which are determined by transgenerationally inherited epigenetic modifications. Understanding epigenetic mechanisms may help identify novel biomarkers for gestation-related exposure, burden, or disease risk. Such biomarkers are essential for developing tools for the early detection of risk factors and exposure levels. It is necessary to establish an exposure threshold due to nutrient deficiencies or other environmental factors that can result in clinically relevant epigenetic alterations that modulate disease risks in the fetus. This narrative review summarizes the latest updates on the roles of maternal nutrients (n-3 fatty acids, polyphenols, vitamins) and gut microbiota on the placental epigenome and its impacts on fetal brain development. This review unravels the potential roles of the functional epigenome for targeted intervention to ensure optimal fetal brain development and its performance in later life.

Keywords: brain development; fetal development; gut microbiota; immune function; maternal diet; placental epigenome.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
An epigenetic methylation switch modulates gene transcription and the expression of functional proteins involved in the fetus’s growth, metabolism, and development.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Fetal brain development is also regulated in utero by epigenetic alterations of DNA methylation and hydroxymethylation, which are primed by several factors associated with prenatal exposure.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Mechanistic overview of gut microbial effects on fetal brain plasticity. Gut microflora produces several neuroactive metabolites such as GABA, tryptophan, and serotonin, potentially regulating neurotransmitter homeostasis in the fetal gut–brain axis. The gut microbiota also affect neuroinflammation and microglial maturation, and they function in a mechanism involving SCFA action and/or modulation of neuroactive molecules. These metabolites, in turn, activate the expression of epigenetic marks, including mRNA, miRNA, hydroxymethylation, and histone remodeling in the brain cells. BDNF—brain-derived neurotrophic factor; GABA—gamma-aminobutyric acid; DNAm—DNA methylation.
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Grants and funding

This research received no external funding.