Degree of lipid saturation affects depressive-like behaviour and gut microbiota in mice

Abstract

This study explored the effects of the degree of lipid saturation on depressive behaviour and gut microbiota in mice. Thirty-two mice were divided into normal (N), Prozac (NP), lard (L) and fish oil (F) groups. After a 12-week dietary intervention, the open field test (OFT) and the forced swim test (FST) were conducted before sacrifice. The mice in the L group exhibited anxiety-like behaviours in the OFT and depressive-like behaviours in the FST. A significant difference was observed in β-diversity indices between the L group and the F group. The abundance of Allobaculum and Bifidobacterium was significantly higher in the F group than in the L and N groups. The prefrontal cortex fatty acid composition was altered in various lipid-treated groups and was highly correlated with depressive-like behaviours. In conclusion, the degree of lipid saturation affects depressive-like behaviour, gut microbiota composition, and the prefrontal cortex fatty acid profile in mice.

Keywords:

• Fatty acids
• open field test
• forced swim test
• gut microbiota
• depressive-like behaviour

Disclosure statement

No potential conflicts of interest are reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by grants from the Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan (MOST106-2320-B-038-062-MY3, MOST106-2314-B-038-049 and MOST108-2314-B-038-018).