Open AccessEffects of chronic treatment with new strains of Lactobacillus plantarum on cognitive, anxiety- and depressive-like behaviors in male mice
Author(s) -
Thaísa Barros-Santos,
Kallyane Santos Oliveira Silva,
Matheus Libarino-Santos,
Elisangela Gouveia Cata-Preta,
Henrique Sousa Reis,
Eduardo Koji Tamura,
Alexandre J. Oliveira-Lima,
L.F. Berro,
Ana Paula Trovatti Uetanabaro,
E.A.V. Marinho
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
plos one
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.99
H-Index - 332
ISSN - 1932-6203
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pone.0234037
Subject(s) - lactobacillus plantarum , elevated plus maze , anxiolytic , behavioural despair test , probiotic , pharmacology , anxiety , medicine , biology , antidepressant , psychiatry , lactic acid , bacteria , genetics
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 (10 9 /0.1 ml CFU) or Lp 81 (10 9 /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.