Maternal PM2.5 exposure induces insulin resistance in adult male mouse offspring via gut–liver axis

BACKGROUND: exposure induced metabolic disorders in the offspring remain unknown. METHODS: -exposed three-week-old male mouse offspring (donor) were transplanted to pseudo-germ-free mice (recipient) via oral gavage twice weekly for five weeks. After fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT), fecal samples from donor and recipient mice were collected for full-length 16S rRNA sequencing. Liver tissue from donor mice was analyzed by 5R 16S rRNA sequencing. RESULTS: -exposed mouse offspring via FMT. Mechanistically, the increased abundance of Helicobacter hepaticus contributed to DNA damage-mediated colonic barrier injury. This impaired colonic barrier facilitated gut-to-liver translocation of bacteria and lipopolysaccharide (LPS), which triggered hepatic inflammation via activation of TLR4 signaling pathway, ultimately leading to insulin resistance. CONCLUSIONS: exposure-induced non-obese insulin resistance in the offspring, providing potential insights into the developmental origins of MUHNW from the perspective of maternal exposure to air pollution.