The DOI matches its Crossref record; 71 of the 71 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
The probiotic Bifidobacteria infantis: An assessment of potential antidepressant properties in the rat
Abstract
It is becoming increasingly apparent that probiotics are important to the health of the host. The absence of probiotic bacteria in the gut can have adverse effects not only locally in the gut, but has also been shown to affect central HPA and monoaminergic activity, features that have been implicated in the aetiology of depression. To evaluate the potential antidepressant properties of probiotics, we tested rats chronically treated with Bifidobacteria infantis in the forced swim test, and also assessed the effects on immune, neuroendocrine and central monoaminergic activity. Sprague-Dawley rats were treated for 14 days with B. infantis. Probiotic administration in naive rats had no effect on swim behaviours on day 3 or day 14 following the commencement of treatment. However, there was a significant attenuation of IFN-gamma, TNF-alpha and IL-6 cytokines following mitogen stimulation (p<0.05) in probiotic-treated rats relative to controls. Furthermore, there was a marked increase in plasma concentrations of tryptophan (p<0.005) and kynurenic acid (p<0.05) in the bifidobacteria-treated rats when compared to controls. Bifidobacteria treatment also resulted in a reduced 5-HIAA concentration in the frontal cortex and a decrease in DOPAC in the amygdaloid cortex. The attenuation of pro-inflammatory immune responses, and the elevation of the serotonergic precursor, tryptophan by bifidobacteria treatment, provides encouraging evidence in support of the proposition that this probiotic may possess antidepressant properties. However, these findings are preliminary and further investigation into the precise mechanisms involved, is warranted.
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In the citing paper
“Candidate psychobiotics that beneficially impact on host tryptophan metabolites include Bifidobacterium longum subsp.longum 35624 (previously B. infantis 35624) (Desbonnet et al., 2008) and L. reuteri (Marin et al., 2017).”
From Gut reactions: Breaking down xenobiotic–microbiome interactions (2019) · cites this paper as Desbonnet et al., 2008
In the citing paper
“When administered to rats, B. infantis results in reduced 5-HIAA (serotonin metabolite) concentrations in the frontal cortex, and a marked increase in blood concentrations of tryptophan and kynurenic acid (224).”
From Signalling cognition: The gut microbiota and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (2023) · cites this paper as [224]
In the citing paper
“An experimental animal model showed that probiotics may reduce pro-inflammatory immune responses and increase levels of the serotonergic precursor tryptophan, thereby ameliorating depressive symptoms [19].”
From Flavonoid-rich orange juice intake and altered gut microbiome in young adults with depressive symptom: a randomized controlled study (2020) · cites this paper as [19]
Citations
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Cited by
Sorted by citations
Cryan, J. F., O'Riordan, K. J., Cowan, C. S. M., Sandhu, K. V., Bastiaanssen, T. F. S., Boehme, M., Codagnone, M. G., Cussotto, S., Fulling, C., Golubeva, A. V., et al. (2019) · Physiological Reviews · doi:10.1152/physrev.00018.2018 · Cited by 5,286
Self-citationMind-altering microorganisms: the impact of the gut microbiota on brain and behaviour
Cryan, J. F., & Dinan, T. G. (2012) · Nature Reviews Neuroscience · doi:10.1038/nrn3346 · Cited by 4,572
Self-citationNormal gut microbiota modulates brain development and behavior
Heijtz, R. D., Wang, S., Anuar, F., Qian, Y., Björkholm, B., Samuelsson, A., Hibberd, M. L., Forssberg, H., & Pettersson, S. (2011) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.1010529108 · Cited by 3,228
Zheng, P., Zeng, B., Zhou, C., Liu, M., Fang, Z., Xu, X., Zeng, L., Chen, J., Fan, S., Du, X., et al. (2016) · Molecular Psychiatry · doi:10.1038/mp.2016.44 · Cited by 2,023
Serotonin, tryptophan metabolism and the brain-gut-microbiome axis
O’Mahony, S. M., Clarke, G., Borre, Y. E., Dinan, T. G., & Cryan, J. F. (2015) · Behavioural Brain Research · doi:10.1016/j.bbr.2014.07.027 · Cited by 2,012
Self-citation
Metadata
- Authors
- Desbonnet, L., Garrett, L., Clarke, G., Bienenstock, J., & Dinan, T. G.
- Affiliations
- University College Cork (IE)
- McMaster University (CA)
- Venue
- Journal of Psychiatric Research
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2008-12
- Volume
- 43
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 164-174
- ISSN
- 0022-3956 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2164685446
- Cited by
- 952
- References
- 71
- Citations by year
- 2026: 24 · 2025: 70 · 2024: 63 · 2023: 83 · 2022: 97 · 2021: 98 · 2020: 99 · 2019: 83 · 2018: 60 · 2017: 59 · 2016: 54 · 2015: 51 · 2014: 35 · 2013: 26 · 2012: 16
- FWCI
- 17.60
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Psychiatric Research (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- ENLIGHTEN (Jurnal Bimbingan dan Konseling Islam) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Higher Education Academy
- Science Foundation Ireland
- Wellcome Trust
- Health Research Board
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Food Science › Probiotics and Fermented Foods
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Biological Psychiatry › Tryptophan and brain disorders
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Gut microbiota and health
- Keywords
- Bifidobacterium infantis, probiotics, antidepressant effects, depression, forced swim test, inflammatory cytokines, tryptophan, kynurenic acid, serotonin, 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid, DOPAC, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, gut-brain axis, neuroendocrine activity
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Antidepressive Agents, Behavior, Animal, Bifidobacterium, Brain, Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid, Corticosterone, Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone, Depression, Disease Models, Animal, Flow Cytometry, Hypothalamus, Immunoenzyme Techniques, Intestines, Kynurenic Acid, Male, Stress, Psychological, Tryptophan, Vasopressins, Biogenic Monoamines, Polymerase Chain Reaction, Cytokines, Rats, Sprague-Dawley, Probiotics, Rats
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