Vaginal Microbiome: Environmental, Biological, and Racial Influences on Gynecological Health Across the Lifespan.

The human vaginal microbiome (VMB) is a complex and unique ecosystem composed of various microorganisms, including bacteria, fungi, archaea, viruses, and candidate phyla radiation. A healthy VMB is often characterized by the presence of Lactobacillus species, which play a crucial role in protecting and maintaining homeostasis within the vaginal environment. When this balance is disrupted, the protection of the vaginal epithelium weakens, leading to a reduction in Lactobacillus species and an increased risk of various gynecological and reproductive health issues.

Sex-dependent effects of antimicrobials and lipopolysaccharide on blood-brain-barrier permeability in pubertal male and female CD1 mice.

Exposure to stressors during puberty can disrupt normal development and possibly increase susceptibility to neurodegenerative disorders later in life. However, the mechanisms underlying the relationship between pubertal stress exposure and neurodegeneration remain unclear. As such, the current study was designed to examine the effects of pubertal antimicrobial (AMNS) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) treatments on intestinal and blood-brain-barrier (BBB) permeability in male and female mice.

The enduring effects of antimicrobials and lipopolysaccharide on the cellular mechanisms and behaviours associated with neurodegeneration in pubertal male and female CD1 mice.

Puberty is a sensitive developmental period during which stressors can cause lasting brain and behavioural deficits. While the acute effects of pubertal lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and antimicrobial (AMNS) treatments are known, their enduring impacts on neurodegeneration-related mechanisms and behaviours remain unclear. This study examined these effects in male and female mice.

The effect of probiotic supplementation on sleep, depression-like behaviour, and central glucose and lactate metabolism in male and female pubertal mice exposed to chronic sleep disruption.

The prevalence of depression significantly increases during puberty and adolescence. Puberty is the period during which sexual maturity is attained, while adolescence persists beyond puberty and includes physiological, social, emotional, and cognitive maturation. A stressor that has been shown previously to induce depression is chronic sleep disruption.

Neurodevelopmental implications of COVID-19-induced gut microbiome dysbiosis in pregnant women.

The global public health emergency of COVID-19 in January 2020 prompted a surge in research focusing on the pathogenesis and clinical manifestations of the virus. While numerous reports have been published on the acute effects of COVID-19 infection, the review explores the multifaceted long-term implications of COVID-19, with a particular focus on severe maternal COVID-19 infection, gut microbiome dysbiosis, and neurodevelopmental disorders in offspring. Severe COVID-19 infection has been associated with heightened immune system activation and gastrointestinal symptoms.

Psychobiotics and the Microbiota-Gut-Brain Axis: Where Do We Go from Here?

The bidirectional relationship between the gut microbiota and the nervous system is known as the microbiota-gut-brain axis (MGBA). The MGBA controls the complex interactions between the brain, the enteric nervous system, the gut-associated immune system, and the enteric neuroendocrine systems, regulating key physiological functions such as the immune response, sleep, emotions and mood, food intake, and intestinal functions. Psychobiotics are considered tools with the potential to modulate the MGBA through preventive, adjunctive, or curative approaches, but their specific mechanisms of action on many aspects of health are yet to be characterized.

Enduring sex-dependent implications of pubertal stress on the gut-brain axis and mental health.

The gut-brain axis (GBA) is a network responsible for the bidirectional communication between the central nervous system and the gastrointestinal tract. This multifaceted system is comprised of a complex microbiota, which may be altered by both intrinsic and extrinsic factors. During critical periods of development, these intrinsic and extrinsic factors can cause long-lasting sex-dependent changes in the GBA, which can affect brain structure and function.

Environmental Enrichment Cage for Laboratory Mice: A Downloadable Alternative.

Environmentally enriched housing (EE) provides a stimulating and species-typical environment that enhances brain plasticity and cognition, while reducing disease severity in laboratory animals. However, standardizing EE protocols has been challenging due to issues such as variability, high pricing, or limited laboratory space. To address these challenges, we present a replicable and cost-efficient cage protocol that is accessible to researchers with limited resources and space constraints.

CD46 expression in the central nervous system of male and female pubescent mice.

CD46 is a complementary regulatory protein ubiquitously expressed in human cells, controlling complement system activation. CD46 has further been identified to have several other functions including regulatory T cell induction and intestinal epithelial (IEC) barrier regulation. Activation of CD46 in the IEC can impact intestinal barrier permeability and immune system functioning.

The sex-dependent and enduring impact of pubertal stress on health and disease.

Illness is often predicated long before the manifestation of its symptoms. Exposure to stressful experiences particularly during critical periods of development, such as puberty and adolescence, can induce various physical and mental illnesses. Puberty is a critical period of maturation for neuroendocrine systems, such as the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axes.

Enduring sex-dependent effects of lipopolysaccharide treatment on the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis in mice.

Pubertal stress causes enduring sexual behavior dysfunction in males and females, but the underlying mechanism remains unknown. These changes may arise from pubertal programming of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis. Previous findings show that stress exposure downregulates the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, particularly through the reduction of the neuropeptide kisspeptin (Kiss1) and its receptor (Kiss1R).

Effects of pair-housing pubertal and adult male and female mice on LPS-induced age-dependent immune responses: A potential role for the gut microbiota.

Puberty is a critical period of development that is marked by the maturation of the stress and immune systems. There are marked age and sex differences in peripheral and central inflammatory responses to an immune challenge between pubertal and adult mice. Given the strong link between the gut microbiome and immune system, it is possible that the age and sex differences in immune responses are mediated by age and sex differences in gut microbial composition.

Environmental enrichment alters LPS-induced changes in BDNF and PSD-95 expressions during puberty.

Puberty is a critical period of cortical reorganization and increased synaptogenesis. Healthy cortical reorganization and synaptic growth require sufficient environmental stimuli and minimalized stress exposure during pubertal development. Exposure to impoverished environments or immune challenges impact cortical reorganization and reduce the expression of proteins associated with neuronal plasticity (BDNF) and synaptogenesis (PSD-95).

Linking Puberty and the Gut Microbiome to the Pathogenesis of Neurodegenerative Disorders.

Puberty is a critical period of development marked by the maturation of the central nervous system, immune system, and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. Due to the maturation of these fundamental systems, this is a period of development that is particularly sensitive to stressors, increasing susceptibility to neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders later in life. The gut microbiome plays a critical role in the regulation of stress and immune responses, and gut dysbiosis has been implicated in the development of neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders.

The acute effects of antimicrobials and lipopolysaccharide on the cellular mechanisms associated with neurodegeneration in pubertal male and female CD1 mice.

Exposure to stressors during puberty can cause enduring effects on brain functioning and behaviours related to neurodegeneration. However, the mechanisms underlying these effects remain unclear. The gut microbiome is a complex and dynamic system that could serve as a possible mechanism through which early life stress may increase the predisposition to neurodegeneration.

Combined oral contraceptives and mental health: Are adolescence and the gut-brain axis the missing links?

Combined oral contraceptives (containing synthetic forms of estradiol and progestins) are one of the most commonly used drugs among females. However, their effects on the gut-brain axis have not been investigated to a great extent despite clear evidence that suggest bi-directional interactions between the gut microbiome and endogenous sex hormones. Moreover, oral contraceptives are prescribed during adolescence, a critical period of development during which several brain structures and systems, such as hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, undergo maturation.

Pubertal consumption of R. badensis subspecies acadiensis modulates LPS-induced immune responses and gut microbiome dysbiosis in a sex-specific manner.

Puberty is a critical period of development characterized by significant brain remodeling and increased vulnerability to immune challenges. Exposure to an immune challenge such as LPS during puberty can result in inflammation and gut dysbiosis which may lead to altered brain functioning and psychiatric illnesses later in life. However, treatment with probiotics during puberty has been found to mitigate LPS-induced peripheral and central inflammation, prevent LPS-induced changes to the gut microbiota and protect against enduring behavioural disorders in a sex-specific manner.

The effects of antimicrobials and lipopolysaccharide on acute immune responsivity in pubertal male and female CD1 mice.

Exposure to stress during critical periods of development-such as puberty-is associated with long-term disruptions in brain function and neuro-immune responsivity. However, the mechanisms underlying the effect of stress on the pubertal neuro-immune response has yet to be elucidated. Therefore, the objective of the current study was to investigate the effect antimicrobial and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) treatments on acute immune responsivity in pubertal male and female mice.

Immune signaling as a node of interaction between systems that sex-specifically develop during puberty and adolescence.

Adolescence is pivotal for neural and behavioral development across species. During this period, maturation occurs in several biological systems, the most well-recognized being activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis marking pubertal onset. Increasing comparative studies of sex differences have enriched our understanding of systems integration during neurodevelopment.

Adolescent use of potential novel probiotic subsp. acadiensis () mitigates pubertal LPS-Induced behavioral changes in adulthood in a sex-specific manner by modulating 5HT1A receptors expression in specific brain areas.

Adolescence is a critical period of development during which the brain undergoes significant remodeling that impacts behavior later in life. Exposure to stress, and especially immune challenge, during this period triggers changes in brain function resulting in the development of mental disorders in adulthood, such as depression and anxiety. Previous studies from our laboratory have shown that a single exposure to LPS (lipopolysaccharide) during puberty causes enduring depression-like behaviour in females and anxiety-like behaviours in males.

Neurotoxicity and Underlying Mechanisms of Endogenous Neurotoxins.

Endogenous and exogenous neurotoxins are important factors leading to neurodegenerative diseases. In the 1980s, the discovery that 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) contributes to Parkinson's disease (PD) symptoms led to new research investigations on neurotoxins. An abnormal metabolism of endogenous substances, such as condensation of bioamines with endogenous aldehydes, dopamine (DA) oxidation, and kynurenine pathway, can produce endogenous neurotoxins.

Sex-specific responses of the pubertal neuroimmune axis in CD-1 mice.

The mechanistic relationship between the sexually dimorphic neuroimmune system and the sex-specific outcomes of a pubertal immune challenge is unclear. Therefore, we examined sex differences in the progression of cytotoxic microglial responses and blood-brain barrier (BBB) disruption to a peripubertal lipopolysaccharide (LPS) treatment in brain regions relevant to stress responses and cognitive function. Six-week-old (i.

Pubertal probiotics mitigate lipopolysaccharide-induced programming of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in male mice only.

Puberty is a period of rapid cortical and neuronal development. Stress exposure during puberty programs the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis responsiveness to future stressors. However, programming can result in an enduring maladaptation of the HPA axis activity and can be associated with long-term anxiety- and depression-like behaviours.