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Diet, Gut Microbiota and Neuropsychiatric Diseases

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A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Nutritional Epidemiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 May 2024) | Viewed by 9744

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Dominik Strzelecki

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Guest Editor

Department of Affective and Psychotic Disorders, Medical University of Lodz, 92-216 Lodz, Poland
Interests: schizophrenia; affective disorders; anxiety disorders; personality disorders; psychopharmacology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Oliwia Gawlik-Kotelnicka

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Co-Guest Editor

Department of Affective and Psychotic Disorders, Medical University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland
Interests: perinatal mental health; lifestyle medicine; trekking; running

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Recently, there has been much interest in the role of microbiota changes in the pathophysiology of civilization diseases, among them neuropsychiatric disorders. The term “microbiota” refers to populations of microorganisms present in various body ecosystems, such as gut microbiota. It is represented by bacteria, archaea, viruses, including bacteriophages, and fungi. These microorganisms colonize the human body and are necessary for the maintenance of homeostasis, including human immune status. The gastrointestinal tract holds the densest microbial community that plays critical roles in the function and development of several physiological processes. Our microbiota may be modulated by many circumstances, especially diet. Although long-term dietary intake has the most established influence on the gut microbiota, no current microbiota-specific dietary recommendations exist.

Intestinal microbiota can influence central nervous system function, and this relation seems bidirectional. Therefore, the diversity of the gut microbiota has appeared to play a significant role in the occurrence of mood and anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, or neurodegenerative disorders (such as multiple sclerosis). However, there is not enough consistency among studies. There is increased evidence that an aberrant microbiota may bidirectionally relate to intestinal permeability, chronic inflammation, and oxidative stress exacerbation in tissues so that it may serve as a link between neuropsychiatric diseases and dysbiosis.

This Special Issue will eagerly accept papers on the complex relationship between diet, microbiota, and neuropsychiatric diseases, especially depressive and anxiety disorders, or neurodegenerative disorders, regarded as civilization diseases today. All comprehensive review articles, systematic reviews (possibly with meta-analysis), and research articles may be accepted. We will willingly consider manuscripts explaining the mechanisms behind the influence of specific diet components (e.g., polyphenols, polyunsaturated fatty acids) or special diet regimens (e.g., Mediterranean, or Nordic diet) on the occurrence and severity level of neuropsychiatric diseases. The Special Issue will include articles on the above mechanisms involving dysbiosis with its consequences (e.g., low-grade inflammation or increased oxidative stress).

Prof. Dr. Dominik Strzelecki
Dr. Oliwia Gawlik-Kotelnicka
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Nutrients is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

diet
microbiota
neuropsychiatry
nutrition
depression
neurodegeneration

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 3818 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Potential Therapeutic Effects of Bifidobacterium breve MCC1274 on Alzheimer’s Disease Pathologies in App^NL-G-F Mice

by Mona Abdelhamid, Cha-Gyun Jung, Chunyu Zhou, Rieko Inoue, Yuxin Chen, Yoshiki Sento, Hideki Hida and Makoto Michikawa

Nutrients 2024, 16(4), 538; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16040538 - 15 Feb 2024

Viewed by 1147

Abstract

We previously demonstrated that orally supplemented Bifidobacterium breve MCC1274 (B. breve MCC1274) mitigated Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathologies in both 7-month-old App^NL-G-F mice and wild-type mice; thus, B. breve MCC1274 supplementation might potentially prevent the progression of AD. However, the possibility of using this probiotic as a treatment for AD remains unclear. Thus, we investigated the potential therapeutic effects of this probiotic on AD using 17-month-old App^NL-G-F mice with memory deficits and amyloid beta saturation in the brain. B. breve MCC1274 supplementation ameliorated memory impairment via an amyloid-cascade-independent pathway. It reduced hippocampal and cortical levels of phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase and c-Jun N-terminal kinase as well as heat shock protein 90, which might have suppressed tau hyperphosphorylation and chronic stress. Moreover, B. breve MCC1274 supplementation increased hippocampal synaptic protein levels and upregulated neuronal activity. Thus, B. breve MCC1274 supplementation may alleviate cognitive dysfunction by reducing chronic stress and tau hyperphosphorylation, thereby enhancing both synaptic density and neuronal activity in 17-month-old App^NL-G-F mice. Overall, this study suggests that B. breve MCC1274 has anti-AD effects and can be used as a potential treatment for AD. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diet, Gut Microbiota and Neuropsychiatric Diseases)

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19 pages, 1937 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Serotonin Transporter (SERT) Expression Modulates the Composition of the Western-Diet-Induced Microbiota in Aged Female Mice

by Mirjam Bloemendaal, Ekaterina Veniaminova, Daniel C. Anthony, Anna Gorlova, Priscilla Vlaming, Adel Khairetdinova, Raymond Cespuglio, Klaus Peter Lesch, Alejandro Arias Vasquez and Tatyana Strekalova

Nutrients 2023, 15(13), 3048; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15133048 - 6 Jul 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1552

Abstract

Background. The serotonin transporter (SERT), highly expressed in the gut and brain, is implicated in metabolic processes. A genetic variant of the upstream regulatory region of the SLC6A4 gene encoding SERT, the so-called short (s) allele, in comparison with the long (l) allele, results in the decreased function of this transporter, altered serotonergic regulation, an increased risk of psychiatric pathology and type-2 diabetes and obesity, especially in older women. Aged female mice with the complete (Sert^−/−: KO) or partial (Sert^+/−: HET) loss of SERT exhibit more pronounced negative effects following their exposure to a Western diet in comparison to wild-type (Sert^+/+: WT) animals. Aims. We hypothesized that these effects might be mediated by an altered gut microbiota, which has been shown to influence serotonin metabolism. We performed V4 16S rRNA sequencing of the gut microbiota in 12-month-old WT, KO and HET female mice that were housed on a control or Western diet for three weeks. Results. The relative abundance of 11 genera was increased, and the abundance of 6 genera was decreased in the Western-diet-housed mice compared to the controls. There were correlations between the abundance of Streptococcus and Ruminococcaceae_UCG-014 and the expression of the pro-inflammatory marker Toll-like-Receptor 4 (Tlr4) in the dorsal raphe, as well as the expression of the mitochondrial activity marker perixome-proliferator-activated-receptor-cofactor-1b (Ppargc1b) in the prefrontal cortex. Although there was no significant impact of genotype on the microbiota in animals fed with the Control diet, there were significant interactions between diet and genotype. Following FDR correction, the Western diet increased the relative abundance of Intestinimonas and Atopostipes in the KO animals, which was not observed in the other groups. Erysipelatoclostridium abundance was increased by the Western diet in the WT group but not in HET or KO animals. Conclusions. The enhanced effects of a challenge with a Western diet in SERT-deficient mice include the altered representation of several gut genera, such as Intestinimonas, Atopostipes and Erysipelatoclostridium, which are also implicated in serotonergic and lipid metabolism. The manipulation of these genera may prove useful in individuals with the short SERT allele. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diet, Gut Microbiota and Neuropsychiatric Diseases)

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18 pages, 846 KiB

Open AccessArticle

PRO-DEMET Randomized Controlled Trial on Probiotics in Depression—Pilot Study Results

by Oliwia Gawlik-Kotelnicka, Aleksandra Margulska, Anna Skowrońska and Dominik Strzelecki

Nutrients 2023, 15(6), 1400; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15061400 - 14 Mar 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3212

Abstract

There is a pressing need to identify new treatment options for depression and its comorbidities. Depression often coexists with metabolic complications, and the two may share a pathophysiological overlap, including inflammation and microbiota changes. Microbiota interventions (e.g., probiotics) may represent a safe and easy-to-use treatment option as an adjunctive therapy in patients only partially responsive to pharmacologic treatment. (1) Objective: The paper presents the results of a feasibility and pilot study. The study is an internal part of a randomized controlled trail (RCT) of the effect of probiotic supplementation on psychometric, anthropometric, metabolic, and inflammatory parameters in adult patients with depressive disorders depending on the presence of metabolic syndrome. (2) Methods: The trial has a four-arm, parallel-group, prospective, randomized, double-blind, controlled design. Sixty participants received a probiotic preparation containing Lactobacillus helveticus Rosell^®-52 and Bifidobacterium longum Rosell^®-175 over 60 days. The feasibility of the study design was assessed, as well as the rates of recruitment, eligibility, consent, and study completion. The following were assessed: depressive, anxiety and stress symptoms, quality of life, blood pressure, body mass index and waist circumference, complete blood count with differential, serum levels of C-reactive protein, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, fasting glucose, some secondary markers of inflammation and metabolic health, as well as noninvasive biomarkers of liver fibrosis (APRI and FIB-4). (3) Results: The study was found to be generally feasible. The eligibility rate was 52% of recruited participants with 80% completing the study protocol. No differences in sociodemographic or anthropometric factors or basic laboratory findings were found between the placebo and probiotic group at the start of the intervention period. Importantly, the proportion of recruited participants fulfilling the criteria of metabolic syndrome was too low. (4) Conclusions: Whilst the whole study protocol was feasible, some different timepoint procedures require modification. The major weakness of the recruitment methods was that the percentage of metabolic arms participants was insufficient. Overall, the full RCT design on probiotics in depression with vs. without metabolic syndrome was shown to be feasible with little modification. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diet, Gut Microbiota and Neuropsychiatric Diseases)

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Review

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23 pages, 819 KiB

Open AccessReview

A Narrative Review on Gut Microbiome Disturbances and Microbial Preparations in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Implications for Long COVID

by Joanna Michalina Jurek and Jesus Castro-Marrero

Nutrients 2024, 16(11), 1545; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16111545 - 21 May 2024

Viewed by 123

Abstract

Myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), and long COVID are complex, multisystemic and long-term disabling conditions characterized by debilitating post-exertional malaise and other core symptoms related to immune dysregulation resultant from post-viral infection, including mitochondrial dysfunction, chronic neuroinflammation and gut dysbiosis. The reported associations between altered microbiota composition and cardinal symptoms of ME/CFS and long COVID suggest that the use of microbial preparations, such as probiotics, by restoring the homeostasis of the brain–immune–gut axis, may help in the management of symptoms in both conditions. Therefore, this review aims to investigate the implications of alerted gut microbiome and assess the evidence supporting use of microbial-based preparations, including probiotics, synbiotics, postbiotics alone and/or in combination with other nutraceuticals in the management of fatigue, inflammation and neuropsychiatric and gastrointestinal symptoms among patients with ME/CFS and long COVID. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diet, Gut Microbiota and Neuropsychiatric Diseases)

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21 pages, 1642 KiB

Open AccessReview

Ghrelin as a Biomarker of “Immunometabolic Depression” and Its Connection with Dysbiosis

by Agata Gajewska, Dominik Strzelecki and Oliwia Gawlik-Kotelnicka

Nutrients 2023, 15(18), 3960; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15183960 - 13 Sep 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2775

Abstract

Ghrelin, a gastrointestinal peptide, is an endogenous ligand of growth hormone secretagogue receptor 1a (GHSR1a), which is mainly produced by X/A-like cells in the intestinal mucosa. Beyond its initial description as a growth hormone (GH) secretagogue stimulator of appetite, ghrelin has been revealed to have a wide range of physiological effects, for example, the modulation of inflammation; the improvement of cardiac performance; the modulation of stress, anxiety, taste sensation, and reward-seeking behavior; and the regulation of glucose metabolism and thermogenesis. Ghrelin secretion is altered in depressive disorders and metabolic syndrome, which frequently co-occur, but it is still unknown how these modifications relate to the physiopathology of these disorders. This review highlights the increasing amount of research establishing the close relationship between ghrelin, nutrition, microbiota, and disorders such as depression and metabolic syndrome, and it evaluates the ghrelinergic system as a potential target for the development of effective pharmacotherapies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diet, Gut Microbiota and Neuropsychiatric Diseases)

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