Xiaoyaosan Improves Depressive-like Behavior in Rats with Chronic Immobilization Stress through Modulation of the Gut Microbiota | Chapter 6 | Insights into the Prevention and Treatment of Depression with Famous TCM Prescription Xiaoyaosan

 Depression has become the leading cause of disability worldwide and a growing public health problem in China. In addition, intestinal flora may be associated with depression. This study investigated the effect of the decoction Xiaoyaosan (XYS) against depressive behavior through the regulation of intestinal flora. Fifty-two healthy male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups (i.e., control, model, XYS, and fluoxetine). The latter three groups were subjected to 21 days of chronic restraint stress to produce the stress depression model. Rats in the XYS and fluoxetine groups received intragastric administration of XYS and fluoxetine, respectively. The behavioral changes of the rats were observed after 21 days. Stool specimens were sequenced using the 16S rDNA high-throughput method to detect the structure and changes in intestinal flora. There was no difference observed in alpha diversity among the groups. At the phylum level, XYS regulated the abundance of Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Chloroflexi, and Planctomycetes. At the genus level, XYS reduced the abundance of the Prevotellaceae_Ga6A1_group, Prevotellaceae_UCG-001, and Desulfovibrio. On the contrary, it increased the abundance of the Ruminococcaceae family to improve depression-like behavior. The mechanism involved in this process may be related to short-chain fatty acids, lipopolysaccharides, and intestinal inflammation.

Author(s) Details:

Hui-Zheng Zhu,
The First Affiliated Hospital, Jinan University, Guangzhou-510632, Guangdong, China, Formula-pattern Research Center, School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou-510632, Guangdong, China and Jiangmen Central Hospital, Affiliated Jiangmen Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Jiangmen-529030, China.

Yu-Dan Liang,
Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine Postdoctoral research station, Jinan University, Guangzhou-510632, China.

Qing-Yu Ma,
Formula-pattern Research Center, School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou-510632, Guangdong, China.

Wen-Zhi Hao,
Formula-pattern Research Center, School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou-510632, Guangdong, China.

Xiao-Juan Li,
Formula-pattern Research Center, School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou-510632, Guangdong, China.

Man-Si Wu,
Formula-pattern Research Center, School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou-510632, Guangdong, China.

Li-Juan Deng,
Formula-pattern Research Center, School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou-510632, Guangdong, China.

Yu-Ming Li,
Jiangmen Central Hospital, Affiliated Jiangmen Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Jiangmen-529030, China.

Jiaxu Chen,

Formula-pattern Research Center, School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou-510632, Guangdong, China and School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, No. 11 North Third Ring Road Chaoyang District, Beijing-100029, China.

Please see the link here: https://stm.bookpi.org/IPTDFTPX/article/view/11267