Psychobiotics as a novel strategy for alleviating anxiety and depression
Renying Zou, Peijun Tian, Mengshu Xu, Huiyue Zhu, Jianxin Zhao, Hao Zhang, Wei Chen, Gang Wang
Abstract
Anxiety and depression have become major health challenges in recent decades. Accumulating evidence suggests that gut microbial dysbiosis may have a profound effect on the pathogenesis of mood disorders. As an important ‘microbial organ’, the gut microbiota directly participates in nutrient metabolism and peripheral immune regulation and even distantly affects brain functions and behaviours. This review provides an overview of recent discoveries regarding how the gut microbiota influences anxiety and depression and aims to establish the key signalling pathways between the gut microbiota and the brain. Finally, the psychobiotic strategy for treating mood disorders is discussed, covering both pre-clinical and clinical studies. Psychobiotic treatment could provide a novel therapeutic approach to treat anxiety and depression.