Volume 30, Issue 168, February 2026

The role of gut microbiota in the pathogenesis of depression

Julia Gałązka^1♦, Filip Gałązka², Agata Olecka³, Tomasz Karwowski⁴, Zuzanna Czuba⁵, Mateusz Mazurek⁶, Maciej Świerczyna⁷, Mikołaj Kotusiewicz⁸, Fryderyka Orawczak⁹, Jakub Majcherek¹⁰

¹Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw, Wóycickiego 1/3, 01-938 Warsaw, Poland
²Copernicus PL Sp. z o.o., St. Adalbert Hospital, aleja Jana Pawła II 50, 80-462 Gdańsk, Poland
³7th Military Naval Hospital, Polanki 117, 80-305 Gdańsk, Poland
⁴Voivodeship Hospital in Płock, Medyczna 19, 09-400 Płock, Poland
⁵Medical University of Warsaw, Żwirki i Wigury 61, 02-091 Warsaw, Poland
⁶Medical University of Warsaw, Żwirki i Wigury 61, 02-091 Warsaw, Poland
⁷Ministry of the Interior and Administration Hospital, Północna 42, 91-425 Łódź, Poland
⁸Jagiellonian University: Kraków, Gołębia 24, 31-007 Kraków, Poland
⁹Medical University of Lodz, Al. Kościuszki 4, 90-419, Łódź, Poland
¹⁰Voivodeship Hospital in Tarnów, Lwowska 178A, 33-100, Tarnów, Poland

^♦Corresponding author
Julia Gałązka, Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw, Wóycickiego 1/3, 01-938 Warsaw, Poland

ABSTRACT

Depression is a severe, common mental health disorder with complex contributing factors. It is a severe problem in modern medicine, because standard therapies (such as pharmacological and psychotherapy) often are not enough to achieve complete symptom relief. Encouragingly, the role of gut microbiota in the development and progression of mental disorders may open new therapeutic pathways. In this study, we aimed to summarize the role of the gut microbiota in the pathogenesis of depression. The potential therapeutic benefits of modulating this system are also important. This study demonstrates how a personalized approach to each patient can improve treatment outcomes.

Keywords: gut microbiota; gut–brain axis; depression; psychobiotics; inflammation

Medical Science, 2026, 30, e21ms3743

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.54905/disssi.v30i168.e21ms3743

Published: 3 February 2026