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Postbiotics and Mental Health: A New Frontier in Mood Disorders

delete2026-04-01
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PRE
AI
H
Homayouni-Rad, Aziz
H
Houshyar, Jalil
A
Alikhah, Hossein
M
Moghadam, Saba Kamalledin
B
Babak Daneshfard
A
Asghari, Alireza *
DOI:10.1177/1934578X261433104delete
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Abstract

Abstract

En 中文
Mood disorders are increasingly recognized as systemic conditions involving immune dysregulation and gut-brain axis disturbances. While probiotics and prebiotics have been extensively studied, the mechanistic and therapeutic roles of postbiotics-the bioactive metabolites produced by microorganisms-remain insufficiently synthesized in psychiatric research. This review addresses this gap by examining how key postbiotic compounds, including short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), serotonin, dopamine, tryptophan metabolites, and oxytocin, modulate neuroimmune pathways implicated in depression and related disorders. Mechanistically, postbiotics influence histone deacetylase activity, G-protein-coupled receptor signaling, cytokine production, microglial activation, and blood-brain barrier integrity. Emerging clinical data suggest adjunctive benefits in stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms, though dose-response relationships and long-term outcomes remain underexplored. Overall, postbiotics represent a promising mechanistically targeted strategy for modulating the gut-brain-immune axis; however, rigorous clinical trials are required to validate therapeutic efficacy and optimize formulation and dosing strategies.
Keywords:
Anxiety
depression
gut microbiota
mania
mental disorders
postbiotics
probiotics
psychosis

Journal

N
Natural Product Communications
IF:
1.4
Papers:
188
Citations:
7.8K

Organization

S
Shahid Beheshti University Medical Sciences
Scholars:
1.6W
Papers: 1.1W
Citations: 157
T
Tabriz University of Medical Science
Scholars:
1.0W
Papers: 6.9K
Citations: 16
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