Evaluation of the mechanistic interplay between psychobiotic microbes and human gut microbiota challenged with psychotropic chemicals

益生菌菌株瑞士乳杆菌R0052和长双歧杆菌R0175改善了健康志愿者的心理健康和认知反应能力，降低了皮质醇水平，并调节了脑神经活动1。然而，对这些微生物与健康的人类结肠微生物区系之间动态相互作用的益生菌机制的了解有限，这是设计强大的新营养食品的先决条件。该项目旨在阐明这些益生菌对健康人体肠道微生物区系的作用机制。该项目的重点是益生菌：(A)在体外与肠道细菌的分子竞争；(B)受胃肠压力影响的精神药物的敏感性；以及(C)与健康的人类结肠微生物区系的机械相互作用。

Probiotic strains Lactobacillus helveticus R0052 and Bifidobacterium longum R0175 improved psychological well-being and cognitive reactivity, decreased cortisol levels, and modulated brain neural activity among healthy volunteers1. However, there is a limited understanding of the probiotic mechanism underlying the dynamic interplay between these microbes and healthy human colonic microbiota, a prerequisite for the design of robust new nutraceuticals. The project aims to elucidate the mechanism of action of these probiotics on the healthy human gut microbiota. The project is focusing on probiotics' (a) molecular competition with intestinal bacteria in vitro; (b) susceptibility to psychotropic chemicals as affected by gastrointestinal stresses; and (c) mechanistic interplay with healthy human colonic microbiota.