Department of Molecular Medicine, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Department of Medical Genetics, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Probiotics Antimicrob Proteins. 2020 Dec;12(4):1409-1419. doi: 10.1007/s12602-020-09642-x.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is an important neuropsychiatric disorder worldwide. Common treatments of OCD include serotonergic antidepressants, which can cause potentially serious side effects. We assessed the effects of Lactobacillus casei (L. casei) Shirota consumption in an animal model of OCD. OCD-like symptoms were induced in rats by the chronic injection of the D2/D3 dopamine agonist quinpirole hydrochloride. Rats were classified into five groups of 6 rats. Four groups were injected chronically with quinpirole (0.5 mg/kg, twice weekly for 5 weeks). They were fed with L. casei Shirota (10 CF/g, daily for 4 weeks) (group 1), fluoxetine (10 mg/kg, daily for 4 weeks) (group 2), combination of L. casei Shirota and fluoxetine (group 3), and normal saline (positive control group). The last group did not receive dopamine agonist and was only injected with saline (negative control group). Expression levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (Bdnf), solute carrier family 6 member 4 (Slc6a4), and 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor type 2A (Htr2a) were assessed in orbitofrontal cortex tissues of all rats. Behavioral tests showed improvement of OCD signs in rats treated with L. casei Shirota, fluoxetine, and a combination of drugs. Quantitative PCR analysis showed a remarkable decrease in the expression of Bdnf and an increase in the expression of Htr2a in quinpirole-treated rats. After treatment with L. casei Shirota and fluoxetine, the expression level of Bdnf was increased remarkably, whereas Htr2a expression was decreased. The current study showed the effectiveness of L. casei Shirota in the treatment of OCD in a rat model. The beneficial effects of this probiotic are possibly exerted through the modulation of serotonin-related genes expression.
强迫症（OCD）是一种重要的神经精神疾病，在全球范围内都很常见。OCD 的常见治疗方法包括使用血清素类抗抑郁药，但此类药物可能会引起严重的副作用。本研究评估了干酪乳杆菌 Shirota （L. casei）对 OCD 动物模型的影响。采用盐酸喹吡罗（D2/D3 多巴胺激动剂）慢性注射的方法诱导 OCD 样症状，建立大鼠 OCD 模型。将大鼠分为五组，每组 6 只。四组大鼠连续 5 周、每周两次接受 0.5mg/kg 的盐酸喹吡罗注射。其中一组大鼠连续 4 周每天给予 L. casei Shirota（10 CF/g），一组大鼠连续 4 周每天给予氟西汀（10mg/kg），一组大鼠同时给予 L. casei Shirota 和氟西汀，一组大鼠给予生理盐水（阳性对照组）。最后一组大鼠未接受多巴胺激动剂，仅给予生理盐水（阴性对照组）。评估所有大鼠眶额皮质组织中脑源性神经营养因子（Bdnf）、溶质载体家族 6 成员 4（Slc6a4）和 5-羟色胺受体 2A（Htr2a）的表达水平。行为学测试表明，L. casei Shirota、氟西汀以及联合用药均能改善 OCD 大鼠的 OCD 症状。实时定量 PCR 分析显示，与未处理组相比，盐酸喹吡罗处理组大鼠 Bdnf 表达显著降低，Htr2a 表达显著增加。经 L. casei Shirota 和氟西汀治疗后，Bdnf 表达水平显著升高，而 Htr2a 表达水平降低。本研究表明干酪乳杆菌 Shirota 对大鼠 OCD 模型有治疗作用。这种益生菌的有益作用可能是通过调节与 5-羟色胺相关的基因表达来实现的。
