Abstract
Psychobiotics correspond to a class of probiotics, mainly of the genus Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, capable of producing neuroactive substances, such as γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and serotonin, which exert effects on the brain-gut axis. Evidence suggests that psychobiotics can have a beneficial effect on mood, anxiety and cognition. The present study evaluated the effects of chronic administration of two new strains of Lactobacillus plantarum, L. plantarum 286 (Lp 286) and L. plantarum 81 (Lp 81) isolated from the fermentation of cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) and cupuaçu (Theobroma grandiflorum), respectively, on cognitive, anxiety- and depressive-like behaviors in male Swiss mice. Different groups of animals were administered (oral gavage) solutions of vehicle (0.85% saline plus 15% skim milk), Lp 286 (109/0.1 ml CFU) or Lp 81 (109/0.1 ml CFU) for 30 days, and animals were tested for general locomotor activity, depressive-like behavior in the forced swim test, and learning/memory and anxiety-like behavior in the plus-maze discriminative avoidance task. Treatment with the strains Lp 286 and Lp 81 did not interfere with locomotor activity or learning and memory. The Lp 286 strain exerted anti-depressant- and anxiolytic-like effects under our experimental conditions. Our findings add to the current body of evidence suggesting that probiotics from the genus Lactobacillus may exert psychobiotic potential and introduce a new strain, Lp 286, as a potential candidate in the prevention or as therapeutic adjuvant in the treatment of mental disorders.
Highlights
The use of microorganisms capable of manipulating the intestinal microbiota has gained visibility for the promotion of several health benefits
Two-way repeated measures (RM) analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed a significant effect of time (Habituation vs Day 10 vs Day 20 vs Day 30) [F(3,45) = 10.90, p
These results suggest that the animals habituated to the OFT apparatus over time, with a decrease in general locomotion due to lack of novelty, and that treatment with the probiotic strains L. plantarum 286 (Lp 286) or L. plantarum 81 (Lp 81) did not alter general locomotor activity (Fig 2A) or central locomotor activity (Fig 2B)
Summary
The use of microorganisms capable of manipulating the intestinal microbiota has gained visibility for the promotion of several health benefits. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript
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