Volume 27, Issue 135, May 2023

Modulation of neurotransmitter signaling along the Microbiota–Gut–Brain Axis by prebiotics, probiotics and synbiotics in peptic ulcerative rats

Huda A Al Doghaither¹, Fares K Khalifa^2♦

¹Associate Professor, Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
ORCID: 0000-0002-6192-8326
²Professor, Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia/Department of Biochemistry and Nutrition, Faculty of Women for Arts, Science and Education, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt
ORCID: 0000-0002-6320-2297

^♦Corresponding author
Professor, Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia/Department of Biochemistry and Nutrition, Faculty of Women for Arts, Science and Education, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt
ORCID: 0000-0002-6320-2297

ABSTRACT

Background: Normal brain processes need a healthy gut containing various microorganisms. Probiotics (Pro), prebiotics (Pre) and synbiotics (Syn) are able to prevent gut inflammation by restoring the makeup of the gut microbiome and introducing beneficial functionalities to gut microbial populations. Because of their functions in gut physiology and probable implications in the gastrointestinal and neurological systems pathology, neurotransmitters, such as norepinephrine, dopamine and serotonin, have lately attracted attention. In pathological conditions such as gastric ulcer (GU), neurotransmitter levels are dysregulated, resulting in a range of gastrointestinal symptoms. Objectives: To assess the effects of Pre, Pro and Syn on neurotransmitters that regulate gut microbiota and the gut–brain axis (GBA) under peptic ulceration circumstances. Methods: Fifty male rats were used in the study and were divided into groups as follows: Control group, ulcerative group and orally supplemented groups. Serum samples were used for measuring the levels of neurotransmitters in the blood. Results: Levels of serotonin, dopamine, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), glutamate and norepinephrine were decreased in PU rats as compared to healthy rats. Treatment with Pro alone or in combination with Pre (PU + SynB) significantly improved the serum levels of neurotransmitters, inflammatory biomarkers and oxidative stress markers. Conclusion: Several neurological findings regarding the GBA reveal that the gut microbiota has strong bidirectional communication with the CNS and control the development and functions of the CNS, which, in turn, improves gut homeostasis.

Keywords: Gut microbiota, Gut–brain axis, Probiotics, Prebiotics, Synbiotics, Peptic ulcer, Neurotransmitters

Medical Science, 2023, 27, e218ms3018

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.54905/disssi/v27i135/e218ms3018

Published: 05 May 2023