A team reporting in ACS’ Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry has found that dietary galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) could be potential therapeutics against Atopic dermatitis (AD) skin lesions and other psychiatric comorbidities including anxiety and depression.
The macroscopical and histopathological evaluation was conducted on DNFB-induced AD mice, collecting samples from serum, skin, feces and brain.
The results showed:
- Decrease in production of IgE, IL-4, IL-13, IFN-γ, and TNF-α
- Regulation of the PPAR-γ/NF-κB signaling
As regards the anxiety- and depressive-like symptoms, behavior tests were conducted and demonstrated that:
- levels of 5-HT, DA, NE, and CORT in the brain were normalized
An interesting finding about the gut microbiota restructuring included:
- increased short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) production, particularly acetate and butyrate
In conclusion, the study demonstrated that galacto-oligosaccharides significantly reduce skin inflammation and regulate signaling pathways, and that they also improve anxiety and depressive symptoms by normalizing neurotransmitter levels in the brain.
The results highlighted that GOS is a promising strategy against both AD and associated depressive symptoms by modulating the gut microbiota-brain–skin axis.
courtesy of (1): the experiment diagram with the results
References and Notes
(1) Dietary Galacto-oligosaccharides Ameliorate Atopic Dermatitis-like Skin Inflammation and Behavioral Deficits by Modulating Gut Microbiota–Brain–Skin Axis
Liu Tang, Xiaoqin Cao, Shaoze Chen, Xiao Jiang, Dan Li, and Guanghui Chen
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.4c00205
