Exploring the Effect of Changyu Daotan Decoction as a Treatment for Depression in Mice Based on the Theory of the "Brain-Gut Axis"

Purpose: Depression is a mental disorder that severely impacts the body and spiritual health of patients. The main treatment methods are drugs and psychological counseling. However, drugs have a single route of action, and long-term use is prone to drug resistance. Chinese medicine has a moderate and stable effect, with fewer adverse effects; Making it more suitable for the long-term pharmacological management of depression. The disclosure of the microbe-gut-brain axis prompted researchers to investigate the effect of gut microbes on depression. The aim of this study was to explore the effect of Changyu Daotan Decoction (CDD) on the structure and metabolic function of intestinal flora in mice. This information belongs to the method. Methods: 30 mice were induced to establish depression model by P. Willner method and treated with CDD. The changes of genes and species in the blank group, model group, CDD group and SHT (Sertraline Hydrochloride Tablets) group were determined using metagenomic sequencing technology. The functional variability in different groups was analyzed by annotation of common functional databases. Results: There were variations in the number of genes and species in different groups. The predominant intestinal microflora of mice in each group was Bacteroides, Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, Ascomycota, and Spirochaetes, among which Bacteroides was the most abundant, followed by Firmicutes. The content of Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria in depression model mice increased, and CDD could reduce the abundance of Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria. CDD restored the intestinal flora diversity of depression model mice, and significantly increased the content of Lactobacillus. Significant differences in KEGG Orthology (KO), Non-Supervised Orthologous Groups (NOG), Glycoside Hydrolases (GH), and Glycosyl Transferases (GT) were noted in metabolic pathway analysis. Conclusions: CDD improves the structure of the intestinal flora and metabolic function in depressed patients.