The gastrointestinal tract harbors an intrinsic neuronal network, the enteric nervous system (ENS). The ENS controls motility, fluid homeostasis, and blood flow, but also interacts with other components of the intestine such as epithelial and immune cells. Recent studies indicate that gut microbiota diversification, which occurs alongside postnatal ENS maturation, could be critical for the development and function of the ENS. Here we discuss the possibility that this functional relationship starts in utero, whereby the maternal microbiota would prime the developing ENS and shape its physiology. We review ENS/microbiota interactions and their modulation in physiological and pathophysiological contexts. While microbial modulation of the ENS physiology is now well established, further studies are required to understand the contribution of the gut microbiota to the development and pathology of the ENS and to reveal the precise mechanisms underlying microbiota-to-ENS communications.

胃肠道具有内在的神经元网络，即肠神经系统 (ENS)。ENS 控制运动、流体稳态和血流，但也与肠道的其他成分（如上皮细胞和免疫细胞）相互作用。最近的研究表明，伴随出生后 ENS 成熟发生的肠道微生物群多样化可能对 ENS 的发育和功能至关重要。在这里我们讨论这种功能关系在子宫内开始的可能性，由此母体微生物群将启动发育中的 ENS 并塑造其生理机能。我们回顾了 ENS/微生物群相互作用及其在生理和病理生理背景下的调节。虽然 ENS 生理学的微生物调节现在已经很好地建立，但还需要进一步的研究来了解肠道微生物群对 ENS 的发展和病理学的贡献，并揭示微生物群与 ENS 通信的确切机制。