Swimming Exercise Modulates Gut Microbiota in CUMS-Induced Depressed Mice

Yumeng Xie; Zuotian Wu; Lin Zhou; Limin Sun; Ling Xiao; Gaohua Wang

doi:10.2147/NDT.S355723

Swimming Exercise Modulates Gut Microbiota in CUMS-Induced Depressed Mice

Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2022 Apr 5:18:749-760. doi: 10.2147/NDT.S355723. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Yumeng Xie¹, Zuotian Wu¹, Lin Zhou¹, Limin Sun¹, Ling Xiao^{1

2}, Gaohua Wang^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychiatry, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430060, People's Republic of China.
² Institute of Neuropsychiatry, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430060, People's Republic of China.

Abstract

Background: Gut microbiota is associated with anxiety and depression, while exercise has been proved to alleviate depressive symptoms. However, the interaction of exercise, depression, and gut microbiota remains unclear.

Methods: Male C57/BL6J mice were exposed to chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) for 6 weeks and then were subjected to a 5-week swimming program. Behavioral tests, including sucrose preference test (SPT), open field test (OFT), elevated plus-maze (EPM) test, and tail suspension test (TST), were conducted to assess the anxiety-like and depressive behaviors. Gut microbiota analysis was carried out after sample collection.

Results: This study showed that CUMS induced depressive behaviors, but swimming exercise increased sucrose preference rate in the SPT, increased time in the center and number of rearing in the OFT, decreased time in the closed arm and increased time in the open arm in EPM, and decreased immobility time in the TST. Firmicutes were the predominant phylum in the gut microbiome, followed by the phyla Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria. We further found that CUMS and swimming influenced the relative abundance of the genus Desulfovibrio, genus Streptococcus, genus p-75-a5. Among the metabolic pathways, aromatic biogenic amine degradation (PWY-7431), mono-trans and polycis decaprenyl phosphate biosynthesis (PWY-6383), chlorosalicylate degradation (PWY-6107), mycothiol biosynthesis (PWY1G-0), mycolyl-arabinogalactan-peptidoglycan complex biosynthesis (PWY-6397), toluene degradation I (aerobic) (via o-cresol) (PWY-5180), toluene degradation II (aerobic) (via 4-methylcatechol) (PWY-5182), and starch degradation III (PWY-6731) may be related to the mechanism of anti-depression effect.

Conclusion: Swimming exercise reverses CUMS-induced depressive behaviors, and the alteration of gut microbiota composition and regulation of microbiota metabolic pathways are involved.

Keywords: CUMS; chronic unpredicted mild stress; depression; gut microbiota; metabolic pathway; swimming.

Grants and funding

This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No.81871072 and NO. 82071523) and the Medical Science Advancement Program of Wuhan University (NO. TFLC2018001). Design of this study was supported by the Key research and development program of Hubei Province (2020BCA064).