Fecal microbiota transplantation to improve depression by modulating microbiota-gut-brain axis: a review

Abstract:

Since the 1850s, human fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) has been used in clinical practice in western medicine. It has been evidenced that FMT can alleviate gastrointestinal disorders such as Clostridium difficile infection (CDI). Moreover, some studies have concluded that FMT is effective in relieving depression by modulating the microbiota-gut-brain axis (MGBA), which, however, needs to be further verified. Therefore, this paper described the relationship between MGBA and depression and summarized MGBA-related mechanisms of depression:abnormalities in the autonomic nervous system, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, enteric nervous system, and circulatory system, and the "leaky gut" hypothesis. Based on the above mechanisms, this review listed the animal experiments and clinical trials on the treatment of depression with FMT in recent years and dissected the current and future status of FMT, in an attempt to explore whether FMT is practical and reliable in the treatment of depression and provide ideas and methods for the treatment of depression. Despite the huge potential of FMT in the treatment of depression, more compelling research and experimental evidence are needed.