Page 36 - AN-1-3

Advanced Neurology Inflammation and gut microbiota in depression

Figure 2. Potential intervention strategies for depression via the gut-brain axis. Emerging interventions targeting the gut-brain axis, such as prebiotics,
FMT, healthy dietary patterns, omega-3, and other micronutrients, are providing insights into the prevention and treatment of depression. A healthy
composition of gut microbiota directly or indirectly induces the production of beneficial metabolites, including serotonin, bile acids, SCFAs, and amino
acids, which facilitate communication between the gut and the brain. These beneficial metabolites modulate the brain from a “sad” pro-inflammatory state
to a “happy” anti-inflammatory state.
BBB: Blood-brain barrier; BDNF: Brain-derived neurotrophic factor; FMT: Fecal microbiome transplantation; SCFAs: Short-chain fatty acids. Created
with BioRender.com.

the subjects remain oblivious to the study hypothesis homeostasis, and SCFAs. Depression is characterized
and content in addition to controlling all confounding by low-grade systemic and neurological inflammation,
variables. leakage of the BBB and intestinal mucosal barrier, a high
relative abundance of the pro-inflammatory species of
6. Conclusion and future perspectives gut microbiota, and a low abundance of SCFA-producing

The role of gut microbiota in depression has garnered probiotics (Figure 1). Based on this, FMT and healthy
widespread attention. The gut-brain axis is an interactive dietary interventions are considered to be promising
system that involves complex networks of neural, therapeutic strategies for depression (Figure 2).
chemical, inflammatory, and immune interactions. This Nevertheless, there are still many issues that need to be
review describes some interesting research focus and addressed in the future. Although several hypotheses have
pathophysiology of gut-brain interactions in depression, been reported, including pro-inflammatory mediators,
including serotonin, HPA axis, neuroinflammation, gut oxidative stress, and endotoxin translocation, the

Volume 1 Issue 3 (2022) 8 https://doi.org/10.36922/an.v1i3.272