1. Jianghua Kucha black tea containing theacrine attenuates depression-like behavior in CUMS mice by regulating gut microbiota-brain neurochemicals and cytokines.
- Author
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Jia W, Ma Q, Xing R, Yang X, Liu D, Zeng H, Liu Z, Liu S, Xu W, Liu Z, and Wu W
- Subjects
- Animals, Mice, Male, Behavior, Animal drug effects, Stress, Psychological metabolism, Antidepressive Agents pharmacology, Antidepressive Agents therapeutic use, Disease Models, Animal, Feces microbiology, Plant Extracts pharmacology, Biflavonoids pharmacology, Gastrointestinal Microbiome drug effects, Depression metabolism, Tea chemistry, Cytokines metabolism, Brain metabolism
- Abstract
Theacrine and theaflavins are known for their potential to mitigate depression and cognitive impairment. Jianghua Kucha black tea (JH) contains both compounds, yet its antidepressant properties are seldom documented. This study evaluated the effects of JH on depression in chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) mice and explored the underlying mechanisms through integrative analyses of gut microbiota and fecal metabolomics. JH was found to significantly alleviate CUMS-induced depression-like behavior by improving body weight, food intake, 1% sucrose preference, immobility time, and numbers of crossings and standings compared to Zhuyeqi black tea (ZYQ), which contains theaflavins. JH notably altered the gut microbiota composition, enriching genera such as Turicibacter, Faecalibaculum, Akkermansia, and Desulfovibrio, while inhibiting genera norank_f__Muribaculaceae and Lactobacillus. Additionally, JH modified the fecal metabolite profile, characterized by increased levels of several secondary bile acids (BAs) and decreased levels of several purine intermediate metabolites. Furthermore, JH upregulated levels of monoamine neurotransmitters (5-HT and DA) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), while downregulating pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and TNF-α in brain tissue. These findings suggested that JH could mitigate CUMS-induced depression-like behavior, potentially by modulating gut microbiota composition and function, as well as brain neurochemicals and cytokines., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)
- Published
- 2024
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