IMPE Abstracts

The relationship between soy isoflavones (SI)-induced gut dysbiosis and puberty onset has not been explored, and the protective effect of probiotic are still controversial. This study investigated the action of SI and probiotic on the age of puberty onset in female c57/bl mice. Changes in the gut microbiota and production of short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) metabolism are highlighted to analyze a possible causative relationship to puberty onset. The results demonstrate that SI promotes earlier onset of puberty, and can significantly alter the composition of the fecal bacterial community. Furthermore, SI alters the gut microbiota such that levels of butyrate, isovalerate and hexanoate are reduced. Moreover, a probiotic treatment normalizes the timing of puberty onset, likely due to alteration in the gut microbiota to enhance SCFAs production. We analyzed the concentration of SCFAs in fecal samples collected from female mice 3 days before vagina opening. There was no significant difference in total SCFAs levels between the groups (P>0.05). The level of butyric acid, isovaleric acid, and caproic acid were significantly lower in SI group than both SI+Pro group and the Con-paired group (P<0.05). Concerning probiotics, there were no significant differences in the levels of butyric acid, isovaleric acid, and caproic acid between the SI+Pro group and the Con-Observed group (P>0.05), and the level of butyric acid in the SI+Pro group were significantly higher than those in the SI group (P<0.05). Our findings suggest that SI has the potential to advance the timing of puberty onset. Furthermore, supplementation with probiotic obviates the precocious puberty onset caused by a SI diet. In female mice, modulation of the gut microbiota and reduction in SCFAs such as butyric acid were associated with advanced timing of puberty onset.