REVIEW article
Front. Immunol.
Sec. Mucosal Immunity
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1644160
This article is part of the Research TopicCommunity Series in Interplay Between Diets, Microbiota, Bacterial Metabolites and Host for Intestinal Health and Disease: Volume IIView all articles
The Microbiota-Gut-Brain Axis in Depression: Unraveling the Relationships and Therapeutic Opportunities
Provisionally accepted
- 1Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
- 2Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- 3Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong, China
- 4The Second People's Hospital of Lishui, Lishui, China
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Depression, a highly prevalent and relapsing mental disorder, exacts profound personal and socioeconomic tolls globally, warranting urgent scientific and clinical attention. Emerging evidence from both preclinical models and human clinical investigations has established the microbiota-gut-brain axis (MGBA) as a critical determinant in depression pathogenesis. This intricate bidirectional network integrates gut microbiota with central nervous system function, influencing mental health through mechanisms previously underrecognized. This review systematically synthesizes gut microbiota alterations associated with depression and their impacts on neuroendocrine, neuroimmune, and metabolic pathways. Advanced therapeutic strategies targeting the MGBA are discussed, including probiotics, fecal microbiota transplantation, and artificial intelligence-enabled microbiome interventions for depression management. While challenges in standardization, mechanistic understanding, efficacy and safety remain, MGBA-centered approaches offer a promising shift toward microbiota-based diagnostics and personalized treatments for depression.
Keywords: ：depression, Gut Microbiota, Microbiota-gut-brain axis, Neuroinflammation, Therapeutic interventions
Received: 10 Jun 2025; Accepted: 09 Sep 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Zhu, Cheng, Liu, Xu, Ding, Ling, Liu and Cai. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Zongxin Ling, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
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