Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Food Microbiology, School of Health Science and Engineering, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai, China.
Navy Special Medical Center, Naval Medical University, Shanghai, China.
J Nutr. 2023 Apr;153(4):924-939. doi: 10.1016/j.tjnut.2023.01.026. Epub 2023 Jan 31.
Long-term exposure to adverse life events that provoke acute or chronic psychological stress (hereinafter "stress") can negatively affect physical health and even increase susceptibility to psychological illnesses, such as anxiety and depression. As a part of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) released from the hypothalamus is primarily responsible for the stress response. Typically, CRF disrupts the gastrointestinal system and leads to gut microbiota dysbiosis, thereby increasing risk of functional gastrointestinal diseases, such as irritable bowel syndrome. Furthermore, CRF increases oxidative damage to the colon and triggers immune responses involving mast cells, neutrophils, and monocytes. CRF even affects the differentiation of intestinal stem cells (ISCs), causing enterochromaffin cells to secrete excessive amounts of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT). Therefore, stress is often accompanied by damage to the intestinal epithelial barrier function, followed by increased intestinal permeability and bacterial translocation. There are multi-network interactions between the gut microbiota and stress, and gut microbiota may relieve the effects of stress on the body. Dietary intake of probiotics can provide energy for ISCs through glycolysis, thereby alleviating the disruption to homeostasis caused by stress, and it significantly bolsters the intestinal barrier, alleviates intestinal inflammation, and maintains endocrine homeostasis. Gut microbiota also directly affect the synthesis of hormones and neurotransmitters, such as CRF, 5-HT, dopamine, and norepinephrine. Moreover, the Mediterranean diet enhances the stress resistance to some extent by regulating the intestinal flora. This article reviews recent research on how stress damages the gut and microbiota, how the gut microbiota can improve gut health by modulating injury due to stress, and how the diet relieves stress injury by interfering with intestinal microflora. This review gives insight into the potential role of the gut and its microbiota in relieving the effects of stress via the gut-brain axis.
长期暴露于引发急性或慢性心理压力的不良生活事件（以下简称“压力”）会对身体健康产生负面影响，甚至增加患心理疾病（如焦虑和抑郁）的风险。作为下丘脑-垂体-肾上腺轴的一部分，下丘脑释放的促皮质素释放因子（CRF）主要负责应激反应。通常，CRF 会扰乱胃肠道系统，导致肠道微生物群落失调，从而增加功能性胃肠道疾病（如肠易激综合征）的风险。此外，CRF 会增加结肠的氧化损伤，并引发涉及肥大细胞、中性粒细胞和单核细胞的免疫反应。CRF 甚至会影响肠干细胞（ISC）的分化，导致肠嗜铬细胞分泌过多的 5-羟色胺（5-HT）。因此，压力通常伴随着肠上皮屏障功能的损伤，随后增加肠道通透性和细菌易位。肠道微生物群和压力之间存在多网络相互作用，肠道微生物群可能会减轻压力对身体的影响。益生菌的饮食摄入可以通过糖酵解为 ISC 提供能量，从而缓解压力对体内平衡造成的破坏，显著增强肠道屏障，缓解肠道炎症，维持内分泌平衡。肠道微生物群还直接影响激素和神经递质的合成，如 CRF、5-HT、多巴胺和去甲肾上腺素。此外，地中海饮食通过调节肠道菌群在一定程度上增强了对压力的抵抗力。本文综述了最近关于压力如何损害肠道和微生物群的研究，以及微生物群如何通过调节压力引起的损伤来改善肠道健康，以及饮食如何通过干扰肠道微生物群来缓解压力损伤。这篇综述让我们深入了解了肠道及其微生物群通过肠道-大脑轴缓解压力影响的潜在作用。
