Age-specific differential changes on gut microbiota composition in patients with major depressive disorder

Abstract

Emerging evidence has shown the age-related changes in gut microbiota, but few studies were conducted to explore the effects of age on the gut microbiota in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). This study was performed to identify the age-specific differential gut microbiota in MDD patients. In total, 70 MDD patients and 71 healthy controls (HCs) were recruited and divided into two groups: young group (age 18-29 years) and middle-aged group (age 30-59 years). The 16S rRNA gene sequences were extracted from the collected fecal samples. Finally, we found that the relative abundances of Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes were significantly decreased and increased, respectively, in young MDD patients as compared with young HCs, and the relative abundances of Bacteroidetes and Actinobacteria were significantly decreased and increased, respectively, in middle-aged MDD patients as compared with middle-aged HCs. Meanwhile, six and 25 differentially abundant bacterial taxa responsible for the differences between MDD patients (young and middle-aged, respectively) and their respective HCs were identified. Our results demonstrated that there were age-specific differential changes on gut microbiota composition in patients with MDD. Our findings would provide a novel perspective to uncover the pathogenesis underlying MDD.

Associations between disordered gut microbiota and changes of neurotransmitters and short-chain fatty acids in depressed mice

“…Another study showed that gut microbiota could increase the depression-like behavior and inflammatory processes in the ventral hippocampus of stress vulnerable individuals 7 . Our studies in humans have observed differences in gut microbiota composition between patients with depression and healthy controls [9][10][11] . Other studies also found the altered gut microbiota composition in depressed patients 12,13 .…”

Absence of gut microbiota affects lipid metabolism in the prefrontal cortex of mice

“…Developing an objectively diagnostic method with high speci city and sensitivity for MDD has been proven to be a formidable and elusive task, although we and other researchers have completed many meaningful works [16][17][18][19]. In the present work, a potential biomarker panel consisting of AAT, ALB and APOA was identi ed.…”

Alpha 1-antitrypsin as a Potential Biomarker for Diagnosing Major Depressive Disorder

“…Developing an objectively diagnostic method with high speci city and sensitivity for MDD has been proven to be a formidable and elusive task, although we and other researchers have completed many meaningful works [14][15][16][17]. In the present work, a potential biomarker panel consisting of AAT, ALB and APOA was identi ed.…”