Journal of Advanced Research · 11 authors, 6 centres
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A randomized clinical trial tested a multi-probiotic supplement in patients with major depressive disorder and gastrointestinal symptoms. The probiotic group showed greater reductions in depressive and gastrointestinal symptom scores compared to placebo.
This study combined a randomized clinical trial in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and gastrointestinal syndromes with mechanistic experiments in a stress-induced mouse model. The clinical trial assessed the effect of a multi-probiotic supplement versus placebo. The central result was that the probiotic group demonstrated significantly greater improvements in self-rating scale scores for both depressive symptoms and gastrointestinal dysfunction than the placebo group. In the mouse model, probiotic treatment was associated with modulation of the serotonergic system, including altered brain 5-HT turnover and increased intestinal 5-HT levels, and changes in brain-derived neurotrophic factor and short-chain fatty acid levels. Limitations noted include the small sample size for microbial analysis and reliance solely on psychometric scores for monitoring recovery. The findings suggest multi-probiotics may be a novel therapy for MDD and comorbid gut symptoms, acting via serotonergic regulation.
