Can the intestinal microbiota modulated by cesarean impact the morphophysiology of the reproductive system of rats in the long term?

• Grant number: 22/09495-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: September 01, 2022
• End date: March 31, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Pharmacology - Toxicology
• Principal Investigator: Juliana Elaine Perobelli
• Grantee: Laís Nogueira da Silva
• Host Institution: Instituto do Mar (IMar). Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). Campus Baixada Santista. Santos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Gut microbiota is formed by a complex and diverse community of microorganisms that inhabit the digestive system of humans and animals, responsible for inducing immune responses after stimulus. A healthy and diverse microbiota is found in the state of eubiosis. In contrast, the state of dysbiosis indicates the imbalance between microorganisms and the host, resulting in several disturbances to the organism's physiology. This is because the gut microbiota communicates with other organs and tissues through complex mechanisms and axes which have not yet been fully elucidated. There is evidence that the male reproductive system can also be affected by the intestinal microbiota, which influences the regulation of androgen production, which cross the blood-testis barrier and regulate spermatogenesis and sperm maturation. It is known that gut microbiota composition is widely influenced by the birth pathway - vaginal or cesarean. When born by vaginal delivery, the neonate's gut microbiota has a composition similar to that of the mother's vaginal canal. In the cesarean, the neonate's gut microbiota has a composition similar to that of the mother's skin and that of the hospital environment, being less diverse. In this context, the aim of this study is to evaluate whether the gut microbiota, modulated by the cesarean birth pathway, causes impacts on the male reproductive parameters of rats in the juvenile and adult ages. It is hypothesized that the birth pathway may influence the reproductive health of animals and the physiology of reproductive organs in the long term, interfering in the regulation of the spermatogenic process and sperm maturation in the epididymis, through the communication between the reproductive system and the gut microbiota.