Zhou Jiaxin, Zhao Yiqiao, Li Yilong, Li Jie, Huang Jianan, Liu Lin, Liu Zhonghua, Zhu Mingzhi
Key Laboratory of Tea Science of Ministry of Education, National Research Center of Engineering Technology for Utilization of Functional Ingredients from Botanicals, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, Hunan 410128, PR China.
The First Hospital of Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Hunan 410128, PR China.
Food Res Int. 2025 May;209:116214. doi: 10.1016/j.foodres.2025.116214. Epub 2025 Mar 14.
Depression is strongly linked to dysfunctions in the microbiota-gut-brain axis. Jasmine tea, a traditional Chinese beverage made by combining green tea with Jasminum sambac, has potential antidepressant effects. However, its potential to alleviate depression via modulation of the microbiota-gut-brain axis remains largely unstudied. In this study, we used a rat model of depression induced by chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) to investigate the effects of jasmine tea extract (JT) on depression-related symptoms. Behavioral assessments, inflammatory marker analysis, hippocampal histology, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression assays demonstrated that JT alleviated depressive behaviors, reduced brain tissue damage, and restored cognitive function in CUMS-exposed rats. JT also significantly reduced intestinal levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α) and modulated oxidative stress markers (MDA, SOD, and CAT), suggesting a role in preserving intestinal integrity. Further, 16S rRNA sequencing revealed that JT shifted the gut microbiota composition in favor of beneficial bacteria such as Romboutsia, Blautia, and Monoglobus, while decreasing the abundance of potentially harmful bacteria, including Bifidobacterium, Clostridium_sensu_stricto_1, and Escherichia-Shigella. Meanwhile, non-targeted and targeted metabolomics analyses showed that JT influenced key metabolic pathways involving tryptophan, short-chain fatty acids, and bile acids, helping to restore metabolic balance across various tissues (feces, colon, serum, and cerebral cortex) in the depressed rats. These findings indicate that JT may alleviate depression by modulating the microbiota-gut-brain axis, highlighting its potential as a dietary intervention for depression management.
抑郁症与微生物群-肠道-脑轴功能障碍密切相关。茉莉花茶是一种将绿茶与茉莉相结合制成的中国传统饮品，具有潜在的抗抑郁作用。然而，其通过调节微生物群-肠道-脑轴来缓解抑郁症的潜力在很大程度上仍未得到研究。在本研究中，我们使用慢性不可预测轻度应激（CUMS）诱导的大鼠抑郁症模型，来研究茉莉花茶提取物（JT）对抑郁症相关症状的影响。行为评估、炎症标志物分析、海马组织学检查以及脑源性神经营养因子（BDNF）表达测定表明，JT可缓解CUMS诱导的大鼠的抑郁行为，减少脑组织损伤，并恢复认知功能。JT还显著降低了肠道促炎细胞因子（IL-1β、IL-6和TNF-α）的水平，并调节了氧化应激标志物（MDA、SOD和CAT），提示其在维持肠道完整性方面发挥作用。此外，16S rRNA测序显示，JT改变了肠道微生物群组成，有利于罗伊氏菌属、布劳特氏菌属和单球杆菌属等有益细菌的生长，同时降低了包括双歧杆菌属、严格梭菌属1和埃希氏菌-志贺氏菌属等潜在有害细菌的丰度。与此同时，非靶向和靶向代谢组学分析表明，JT影响了涉及色氨酸、短链脂肪酸和胆汁酸的关键代谢途径，有助于恢复抑郁症大鼠各组织（粪便、结肠、血清和大脑皮层）的代谢平衡。这些发现表明，JT可能通过调节微生物群-肠道-脑轴来缓解抑郁症，突出了其作为抑郁症管理饮食干预措施的潜力。
