Cross talk between the intestinal microbiome and the lung and its role in lung health remains unknown. Perinatal exposure to
antibiotics disrupts the neonatal microbiome and may have an impact on the preterm lung. We hypothesized that perinatal
antibiotic exposure leads to long-term intestinal
dysbiosis and increased alveolar simplification in a murine
hyperoxia model. Pregnant C57BL/6 wild type dams and neonatal mice were treated with
antibiotics before and/or immediately after delivery. Control mice received
phosphate-buffered saline (PBS). Neonatal mice were exposed to 95%
oxygen for 4 days or room air. Microbiome analysis was performed using
16S rRNA gene sequencing. Pulmonary alveolarization and vascularization were analyzed at postnatal day (PND) 21. Perinatal
antibiotic exposure modified intestinal beta diversity but not alpha diversity in neonatal mice. Neonatal
hyperoxia exposure altered intestinal beta diversity and relative abundance of commensal bacteria in
antibiotic treated mice.
Hyperoxia disrupted pulmonary alveolarization and vascularization at PND 21; however, there were no differences in the degree of
lung injury in
antibiotic treated mice compared to vehicle treated controls. Our study suggests that exposure to both
hyperoxia and
antibiotics early in life may cause long-term alterations in the intestinal microbiome, but intestinal
dysbiosis may not significantly influence neonatal hyperoxic
lung injury.