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Volume 13
Issue 8
10.3390/biomedicines13081831
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Review

Gut–Brain Axis in Mood Disorders: A Narrative Review of Neurobiological Insights and Probiotic Interventions

by
Gilberto Uriel Rosas-Sánchez
1,2,*,
León Jesús Germán-Ponciano
3,
Abraham Puga-Olguín
4,
Mario Eduardo Flores Soto
5,
Angélica Yanet Nápoles Medina
5,
José Luis Muñoz-Carillo
6,
Juan Francisco Rodríguez-Landa
3 and
César Soria-Fregozo
2,*
1
Programa de Estancias Posdoctorales por México, Secretaría de Ciencia, Humanidades, Tecnología e Innovación SECIHTI, Centro Universitario de Los Lagos, Universidad de Guadalajara, Lagos de Moreno 47460, Jalisco, Mexico
2
Centro Universitario de Los Lagos, Universidad de Guadalajara, Lagos de Moreno 47460, Jalisco, Mexico
3
Laboratorio de Neurofarmacología, Instituto de Neuroetología, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa 91190, Veracruz, Mexico
4
Programa Investigadoras e Investigadores por México, SECIHTI-Centro de EcoAlfabetización y Diálogo de Saberes, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa 91060, Veracruz, Mexico
5
Laboratorio de Neurobiología Celular y Molecular, División de Neurociencias, Centro de Investigación Biomédica de Occidente (CIBO), Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Sierra Mojada 800, Independencia Oriente, Guadalajara 44340, Jalisco, Mexico
6
Laboratorio de Inmunología, Centro Universitario de los Lagos, Universidad de Guadalajara, Lagos de Moreno 47460, Jalisco, Mexico
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Biomedicines 2025, 13(8), 1831; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines13081831
Submission received: 17 June 2025 / Revised: 20 July 2025 / Accepted: 22 July 2025 / Published: 26 July 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nervous System Diseases: From Pathophysiology to Novel Therapeutic Approaches)
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Abstract

The gut microbiota and its interaction with the nervous system through the gut–brain axis (MGB) have been the subject of growing interest in biomedical research. It has been proposed that modulation of microbiota using probiotics could offer a promising therapeutic alternative for mood regulation and the treatment of anxiety and depression disorders. The findings indicate that several probiotic strains, such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, have demonstrated anxiolytic and antidepressant effects in pre and clinical studies. These effects seem to be mediated by the regulation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis (HPA), the synthesis of neurotransmitters such as serotonin (5-HT) and Gamma-amino-butyric acid (GABA), as well as the modulation of systemic inflammation. However, the lack of standardization in dosing and strain selection, in addition to the scarcity of large-scale clinical studies, limit the applicability of these findings in clinical therapy. Additional research is required to establish standardized therapeutic protocols and better understand the role of probiotics in mental health. The aim of this narrative review is to discuss the relationship between the gut microbiota and the MGB axis in the context of anxiety and depression disorders, the underlying neurobiological mechanisms, as well as the preclinical evidence for the effect of probiotics in modulating these disorders. In this way, an exhaustive search was carried out in scientific databases including PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scopus, and Web of Science. Preclinical research evaluating the effects of different probiotic strains in animal models during chronic treatment was selected, excluding those studies that did not provide access to the full text.
Keywords: anxiety; depression; Lactobacillus; Bifidobacterium; anxiolytic; antidepressant; probiotics; MGB Axis anxiety; depression; Lactobacillus; Bifidobacterium; anxiolytic; antidepressant; probiotics; MGB Axis

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MDPI and ACS Style

Rosas-Sánchez, G.U.; Germán-Ponciano, L.J.; Puga-Olguín, A.; Soto, M.E.F.; Medina, A.Y.N.; Muñoz-Carillo, J.L.; Rodríguez-Landa, J.F.; Soria-Fregozo, C. Gut–Brain Axis in Mood Disorders: A Narrative Review of Neurobiological Insights and Probiotic Interventions. Biomedicines 2025, 13, 1831. https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines13081831

AMA Style

Rosas-Sánchez GU, Germán-Ponciano LJ, Puga-Olguín A, Soto MEF, Medina AYN, Muñoz-Carillo JL, Rodríguez-Landa JF, Soria-Fregozo C. Gut–Brain Axis in Mood Disorders: A Narrative Review of Neurobiological Insights and Probiotic Interventions. Biomedicines. 2025; 13(8):1831. https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines13081831

Chicago/Turabian Style

Rosas-Sánchez, Gilberto Uriel, León Jesús Germán-Ponciano, Abraham Puga-Olguín, Mario Eduardo Flores Soto, Angélica Yanet Nápoles Medina, José Luis Muñoz-Carillo, Juan Francisco Rodríguez-Landa, and César Soria-Fregozo. 2025. "Gut–Brain Axis in Mood Disorders: A Narrative Review of Neurobiological Insights and Probiotic Interventions" Biomedicines 13, no. 8: 1831. https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines13081831

APA Style

Rosas-Sánchez, G. U., Germán-Ponciano, L. J., Puga-Olguín, A., Soto, M. E. F., Medina, A. Y. N., Muñoz-Carillo, J. L., Rodríguez-Landa, J. F., & Soria-Fregozo, C. (2025). Gut–Brain Axis in Mood Disorders: A Narrative Review of Neurobiological Insights and Probiotic Interventions. Biomedicines, 13(8), 1831. https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines13081831

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