College of Food Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China.
Food Funct. 2021 Jun 8;12(11):4995-5006. doi: 10.1039/d0fo03254a.
Soy isoflavones (SI) are known for their beneficial effects in alleviating neurodegenerative diseases, while the mechanism of alleviation of depression-like behaviour by SI remains unclear. In this study, a chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS)-induced depression rat model was used to determine the effect of SI in alleviating depression-like behaviour and its possible mechanisms. SI supplements significantly improved the CUMS-induced depression-like behaviour by increasing the monoamine neurotransmitter levels. A specific SI dose significantly modulated the composition of the gut microbiota, which in turn improved the maximum biotransformation ability of SI. Spearman's correlation analysis illustrated that some of the gut microbiota genera were strongly correlated with monoamine neurotransmitters. Moreover, more attention should be paid to gender differences, which may be related to changes in the gut microbiota. These results suggest that SI might affect monoamine neurotransmitters of CUMS rats by reshaping the structure of the gut microbiota, thereby alleviating depression-like behaviour.
大豆异黄酮（SI）以其缓解神经退行性疾病的有益作用而闻名，而 SI 缓解抑郁样行为的机制尚不清楚。在这项研究中，使用慢性不可预测轻度应激（CUMS）诱导的抑郁大鼠模型来确定 SI 缓解抑郁样行为及其可能机制的作用。SI 补充剂通过增加单胺神经递质水平显著改善了 CUMS 诱导的抑郁样行为。特定剂量的 SI 显著调节了肠道微生物群的组成，进而改善了 SI 的最大生物转化能力。Spearman 相关性分析表明，一些肠道微生物群属与单胺神经递质强烈相关。此外，应该更加关注性别差异，这可能与肠道微生物群的变化有关。这些结果表明，SI 可能通过重塑肠道微生物群的结构来影响 CUMS 大鼠的单胺神经递质，从而缓解抑郁样行为。
