PRINCIPAIS MECANISMOS QUE CORRELACIONAM A MICROBIOTA INTESTINAL COM A PATOGÊNESE DA DEPRESSÃO

Depression represents a serious public health problem, significantly affecting patients' quality of life. Without a fully established biological mechanism that triggers its characteristic symptoms, it involves different etiological factors, like modification of the gut microbiota, which participates in the bidirectional communication on the gut-brain axis. Despite of the dysbiosis, changes in the communication of this axis may have a direct correlation with the mental pathologies, Recebido: 24/04/2019 Revisado: 12/07/2019 Aceito: 04/09/2019 FAG JOURNAL OF HEALTH FAG Journal of Health – ISSN 2674-550X, 2019, v.1, n.3, p. 233 DOI10.35984/fjh.v1i2.40 like depression. Objectives: A literature review was carried out to revisit the main mechanisms that correlate the gut microbiota with the pathogenesis of depression and the relation of this modulation as a therapeutic option for this pathology. Methodology: The study included data from 35 scientific articles published between 2002 and 2018 in the Pubmed and Scielo databases, about the proposed topic. Results: The gut microbiota is important for CNS function despite of bidirectional gut-brain communication, allowing it to influence gastrointestinal and immunological functions. As the microbiota regulates the gut epithelium, emotional factors can interfere with this composition and the integrity of enterocytes. Dysbiosis interferes with the production of cytokines and changes gut permeability when accentuated, bacterial products trigger an inflammatory condition, evidenced in patients with depression. These can also present differences in the microbiota’s composition and the treatment with specific probiotics may reduce depressive symptoms. Conclusion: Despite the scarce studies in humans, there is an intense interrelationship between microbiota, gut-brain axis and mental pathologies. Therefore, the modulation of microbiota creates a new perspective on the physiopathology, prevention and treatment of depression.