Research progress on the interactions between the antidepressant effects of SSRIs and gut microbiota
- VernacularTitle:SSRIs抗抑郁作用与肠道菌群的相互影响研究进展
- Author:
Lingyi SHI
1
;
Xiangjun ZHOU
1
;
Ying JIANG
1
;
Haohao ZHU
1
Author Information
1. Dept. of General Psychiatry，the Affiliated Mental Health Center of Jiangnan University，Jiangsu Wuxi 214151，China
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
serotonin-selective reuptake inhibitors;
gut microbiota;
depression;
mechanism of action;
clinical application
- From:
China Pharmacy
2025;36(20):2599-2603
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Serotonin-selective reuptake inhibitors （SSRIs）， as widely used antidepressants in clinical practice， exhibit significant individual differences in antidepressant efficacy. Gut microbiota plays an important role in the development and progression of depression， and the use of SSRIs exerts a significant impact on the gut microbiota of patients with depression. Based on this， this article reviews the research progress on the interactions between the antidepressant effects of SSRIs and gut microbiota. It has been found that SSRIs can influence the diversity， abundance， and function of the gut microbiota directly or indirectly. Conversely， the composition of the gut microbiota and differences in its functional metabolic pathways， and other factors， can in turn affect the antidepressant effects of SSRIs. Therefore， in clinical practice， gut microbiota diversity can be utilized as a predictive indicator for the antidepressant effects of SSRIs. Probiotics can be employed as an adjunct therapy alongside SSRIs， and dietary adjustments， as well as fecal microbiota transplantation， can be used to enhance the therapeutic efficacy of SSRIs. In the future， large-scale， multicenter clinical studies should be conducted， enrolling a broadly representative cohort of patients with depression， to uncover the true association between the antidepressant effects of SSRIs and gut microbiota， thereby opening up more effective avenues for the comprehensive treatment of depression.
