High-Dietary Fiber Intake Alleviates Antenatal Obesity-Induced Postpartum Depression: Roles of Gut Microbiota and Microbial Metabolite Short-chain Fatty Acid Involved

Abstract

Antenatal obesity increases the risk of postpartum depression. Previous research found that dietary fiber supplementation could alleviate mental behavioral disorders. The present study aims to uncover the effects of high-dietary fiber intake on high-fat diet (HFD)-induced depressive-like behaviors and its underlying mechanism. Female C57BL6/J mice were fed with HFD to establish an antenatal obese model. A high-dietary fiber intake (inulin, 0.037 g/kcal) significantly attenuated cognitive deficits and depressive-like behaviors in the maternal mice after the offspring weaning. High-dietary fiber intake upregulated the expression of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) and norepinephrine (NE) and suppressed neuroinflammation. Furthermore, high-dietary fiber intake restructured the gut microbiome and elevated the formation of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). Correlation analysis indicated that the increase in microbes such as Lactobacillus and S24-7, and SCFAs’ levels were positively correlated with behavioral improvements. In conclusion, high-dietary fiber intake is a promising nutritional intervention strategy to prevent antenatal obesity-induced behavioral disorders via a microbiota–gut–brain axis.