Depression-associated gut microbes, metabolites and clinical trials

Abstract

Depression is one of the most prevalent mental disorders today. Over the past decade, there has been considerable attention given to the field of gut microbiota associated with depression. A substantial body of research indicates a bidirectional communication pathway between gut microbiota and the brain. In this review, we extensively detail the correlation between gut microbiota, including Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium longum, and metabolites such as short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) concerning depression. Furthermore, we delve into the potential health benefits of microbiome-targeted therapies, encompassing probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics, in alleviating depression. Lastly, we underscore the importance of employing a constraint-based modeling framework in the era of systems medicine to contextualize metabolomic measurements and integrate multi-omics data. This approach can offer valuable insights into the complex metabolic host-microbiota interactions, enabling personalized recommendations for potential biomarkers, novel drugs, and treatments for depression.

Role of Glial Cells in Depression and Drug Addiction

“…It is anticipated that as our knowledge of the relationship between GM, GBA and the role of SCFAs in MDD expands, more therapeutic interventions by manipulating the GM would become available [229][230][231][232].…”

Human Gut Microbiota for Diagnosis and Treatment of Depression

“…At present, no definitive clinical recommendations can be established for any specific antidepressant probiotic. Nevertheless, a plethora of commercially available probiotic products are designed to alleviate stress, anxiety and depression symptoms [133,137,142,167] and may be potential LBPs [168]. Among these, several have been subjected to clinical trials and extensive investigation, including the following: "Cerebiome" (formerly "Probio'Stick ® ") (Lallemand Health Solutions Inc. Mirabel, Canada): Comprising L. helveticus R0052 and B. longum R0175, this product has been the subject of investigation in five clinical trials and nine preclinical studies.…”

“…The results of these studies are detailed in articles focusing on specific probiotics, as well as in systematic reviews and meta-analyses [ 43 , 76 , 133 , 134 , 135 , 136 , 137 , 138 , 139 ]. This concept has given rise to the term ‘psychobiotics’, which encompasses probiotics, prebiotics and all microbiota-targeted interventions that positively impact mental health [ 138 , 140 , 141 , 142 ]. The majority of these studies primarily utilized various strains of lactobacilli and bifidobacteria as potential antidepressant probiotics.…”

“…At present, no definitive clinical recommendations can be established for any specific antidepressant probiotic. Nevertheless, a plethora of commercially available probiotic products are designed to alleviate stress, anxiety and depression symptoms [ 133 , 137 , 142 , 167 ] and may be potential LBPs [ 168 ]. Among these, several have been subjected to clinical trials and extensive investigation, including the following:…”

Role of Glial Cells in Neuronal Function, Mood Disorders, and Drug Addiction

“…It is anticipated that as our knowledge of the relationship between GM, GBA, and the role of SCFAs in mood disorders expands, more therapeutic interventions by manipulating GM will become available [ 267 , 268 , 269 ].…”