Gut microbiota and its metabolites in depression: from pathogenesis to treatment
Lanxiang Liu,
Haiyang Wang,
Xueyi Chen,
Yangdong Zhang,
Hanping Zhang,
Peng Xie
Affiliations
Lanxiang Liu
Department of Neurology, Yongchuan Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 402160, China; NHC Key Laboratory of Diagnosis and Treatment on Brain Functional Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400016, China; Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400016, China
Haiyang Wang
NHC Key Laboratory of Diagnosis and Treatment on Brain Functional Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400016, China; College of Stomatology and Affiliated Stomatological Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, 401147, China
Xueyi Chen
NHC Key Laboratory of Diagnosis and Treatment on Brain Functional Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400016, China
Yangdong Zhang
NHC Key Laboratory of Diagnosis and Treatment on Brain Functional Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400016, China; Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400016, China
Hanping Zhang
NHC Key Laboratory of Diagnosis and Treatment on Brain Functional Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400016, China; Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400016, China
Peng Xie
Department of Neurology, Yongchuan Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 402160, China; NHC Key Laboratory of Diagnosis and Treatment on Brain Functional Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400016, China; Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400016, China; College of Stomatology and Affiliated Stomatological Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, 401147, China; Corresponding author. NHC Key Laboratory of Diagnosis and Treatment on Brain Functional Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, 1 Youyi Road, Yuzhong District, Chongqing 400016, China.
Summary: Major depressive disorder is one of the most disabling mental disorders worldwide. Increasing preclinical and clinical studies have highlighted that compositional and functional (e.g., metabolite) changes in gut microbiota, known as dysbiosis, are associated with the onset and progression of depression via regulating the gut-brain axis. However, the gut microbiota and their metabolites present a double-edged sword in depression. Dysbiosis is involved in the pathogenesis of depression while, at the same time, offering a novel therapeutic target. In this review, we describe the association between dysbiosis and depression, drug–microbiota interactions in antidepressant treatment, and the potential health benefits of microbial-targeted therapeutics in depression, including dietary interventions, fecal microbiota transplantation, probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics, and postbiotics. With the emergence of microbial research, we describe a new direction for future research and clinical treatment of depression.
