Mechanistic analysis of the association between sugar-sweetened beverages and maternal physiological abnormalities during pregnancy: a gut microbiota-mediated oxidative stress-inflammation network

Abstract

Maternal nutrition during gestation is fundamental to metabolic homeostasis. This study investigates the impact of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs, 20% sucrose water) on maternal physiology through the gut microbiota-oxidative stress-inflammation network and delineates the underlying mechanisms. Using a C57BL/6J mouse model, we implemented a maternal SSB dietary regimen sustained until late gestation. SSB exposure significantly increased maternal body weight, intestinal weight, blood glucose levels, and serum lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and LPS-binding protein (LBP) concentrations. Concurrently, SSBs compromised the intestinal barrier, elevated pro-inflammatory cytokine levels and gene expression, and suppressed intestinal antioxidant capacity. We further identified that pregnancy-induced nutritional demand triggered compensatory intestinal responses, including upregulation of glucose transporters. However, in the context of SSBs, this adaptation escalated into maladaptive metabolic stress, aggravating intestinal injury, oxidative-inflammatory imbalance, and systemic metabolic disruption. Gut microbiota analysis revealed SSB-induced enrichment of Akkermansia, Prevotella, Bacteroides, Alistipes, and Bifidobacterium, with functional enrichment in carbohydrate metabolism and the TCA cycle. These microbial shifts were accompanied by altered short chain fatty acid (SCFA) profiles, characterized by elevated acetate and propionate but reduced butyrate, further disrupting gut homeostasis and maternal metabolism. By constructing an integrated “SSBs–microbiota–metabolites–maternal health” network, we elucidate how excessive Akkermansia muciniphila (A. muciniphila) colonization under gestational high sugar conditions contributes to mucosal breakdown and systemic inflammation. This study provides mechanistic evidence supporting sugar restriction during pregnancy, with important implications for preventing gestational metabolic diseases and improving maternal health outcomes.