Wang XX. Maternal factors contributing to variability in gut microbiota and gastrointestinal function in autism spectrum disorders. World J Psychiatry 2025; 15(12): 109906 [PMID: 41357927 DOI: 10.5498/wjp.v15.i12.109906]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Xiao-Xi Wang, PhD, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Institute of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, No. 16 South Street, Dongzhimen Nei, Beijing 100000, China. wxxcacms@163.com
Research Domain of This Article
Psychology
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Review
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This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Dec 19, 2025 (publication date) through Dec 9, 2025
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Publication Name
World Journal of Psychiatry
ISSN
2220-3206
Publisher of This Article
Baishideng Publishing Group Inc, 7041 Koll Center Parkway, Suite 160, Pleasanton, CA 94566, USA
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Wang XX. Maternal factors contributing to variability in gut microbiota and gastrointestinal function in autism spectrum disorders. World J Psychiatry 2025; 15(12): 109906 [PMID: 41357927 DOI: 10.5498/wjp.v15.i12.109906]
World J Psychiatry. Dec 19, 2025; 15(12): 109906 Published online Dec 19, 2025. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v15.i12.109906
Maternal factors contributing to variability in gut microbiota and gastrointestinal function in autism spectrum disorders
Xiao-Xi Wang
Xiao-Xi Wang, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Institute of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Beijing 100000, China
Author contributions: Wang XX designed the overall concept and outline of the manuscript, reviewed the literature, and wrote the manuscript.
Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 82305035; China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Special Project for Cultivating Outstanding Young Scientific and Technological Talents, No. 2217-YQ-029; and Institute of Acupuncture, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Special Project for Innovative Talents, No. ZZ-YC2023002.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The author reports no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Xiao-Xi Wang, PhD, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Institute of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, No. 16 South Street, Dongzhimen Nei, Beijing 100000, China. wxxcacms@163.com
Received: May 26, 2025 Revised: July 9, 2025 Accepted: October 27, 2025 Published online: December 19, 2025 Processing time: 186 Days and 18.4 Hours
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder is a mental neurodevelopmental condition characterized by social deficits and repetitive behavior, and its development is influenced by genetic and environmental factors. Furthermore, an important factor in etiology is the health status of the mother during pregnancy. Maternal health can critically affect the development of the offspring’s nervous system, including the central nervous system and enteric nervous system. Unfavorable maternal health can disrupt the normal development of the offspring’s nervous system in various ways, such as changes in microbiota composition. As one of the common comorbidities of autism spectrum disorder, no consistent conclusion has been drawn on how poor maternal health affects enteric nervous system and central nervous system development in offspring. From the perspective of maternal health, this review discusses how maternal status affects the gastrointestinal health of offspring and the development of mental systems to raise public awareness of maternal health and provide a new idea for eugenics and childbearing.
Core Tip: The pathogenic factors of autism are closely related to maternal health during pregnancy. Adverse factors during pregnancy, such as infections and psychological stress, can affect the development of the offspring’s central and enteric nervous systems, leading to core symptoms of autism and gastrointestinal problems. Therefore, maternal health during pregnancy must be monitored to reduce the incidence of autism.
