Probiotics Lactobacillus Plantarum PS128 Intervention in Two Patients with Major Depressive Disorder

Probiotics Lactobacillus Plantarum PS128 Intervention in Two Patients with Major Depressive Disorder

The exact mechanisms responsible for depression are not clear, but immune dysregulation may be implicated. Meta analyses have shown that patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) have higher levels of inflammation [1, 2]. Accumulating data have indicated that gut microbiota can communicate with the central nervous system, possibly through neural, endocrine, and immune pathways, thereby influencing brain function and behavior [3, 4]. Therefore, probiotics may be an alternative way to treat patients with depression through changing the composition of gut microbiota.Lactobacillus plantarum PS128 (PS128) is one of the bacteria extracted from traditional fermented food, Fu Tsai [5]. It alleviates depressive like behavior and reduces inflammation level in mice with early life stress [6]. Here, we report the changes of depressive symptoms and levels of high sensitivity C reactive protein (hs CRP) after an eight week PS128 intervention in two patients with MDD.