Semen Sojae Praeparatum improves anxiety in mice by inhibiting HPA axis hyperactivity and modulating gut microbiota
Qixin Yang, Linhua Tian, Shuyu Li, Jinhai Huo, Yuanyuan Jiang, Liyan Chen, Wei‐Ming Wang
Abstract
Semen Sojae Praeparatum (SSP) is a functional food made from fermented black soybeans used in folk medicine to treat psychiatric diseases. This study aimed to evaluate whether SSP affects anxiety and explain the improved anxiety mechanism of SSP. We found that SSP increased the exploratory desire of anxiety anxious mice in behavioral experiments, reduced cytokine (IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α) release in serum, dose-dependently decreased the protein and mRNA levels of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS), corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF), and decreased corticosterone concentrations downstream of the HPA axis. Additionally, SSP ameliorated intestinal disorders in mice by reducing the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio and increasing the abundance of Bacteroidota, Muribaculaceae, and Bacillus. These results demonstrate that SSP improved anxiety effects linked to regulation of HPA axis hyperactivity and gut microbiota composition.