Association between gut microbiota and perinatal depression and anxiety among a pregnancy cohort in Hunan, China

• Published in: Brain, behavior, and immunity behavior, and immunity, 2025-03, Vol.125, p.168-177
• Main Authors: Xu, Shuyin, Xiong, Jintao, Qin, Xuemei, Ma, Mohan, Peng, Yilin, Cheng, Junzhe, Nie, Xueqing, Fan, Xing, Deng, Yali, Ju, Yumeng, Liu, Jin, Zhang, Li, Liu, Bangshan, Zhang, Yan, Li, Lingjiang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anxiety; Depression; Gut microbiota; Pregnancy; Suicidal ideation
• ISSN: 0889-1591; 1090-2139; 1090-2139
• DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2024.12.150

•The gut microbiota undergoes a programmed shift during pregnancy.•Perinatal depression and anxiety are associated with gut microbiota composition.•Specific microbial taxa and functional pathways are correlated with depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation. Perinatal depression and anxiety pose significant risks to maternal health and may lead to suicide. The gut microbiota may play a crucial role in perinatal depression and anxiety. However, the relationship between the alterations in gut microbiota and perinatal depression and anxiety remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the dynamic changes of gut microbiota over various perinatal stages and their associations with perinatal depression and anxiety symptoms, especially suicide ideation. A total of 177 pregnant and 19 postpartum women were recruited in this study, with 48 of them participating longitudinally. Maternal depression and anxiety symptoms were assessed using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), and 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7). Fecal samples collected during the perinatal period were analyzed using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Significant changes in microbial diversity and multi-taxonomic levels were observed during pregnancy. The random forest regression model showed significant associations of some gut microbial features with depression and anxiety symptoms. Several genera were significantly associated with gestation age and perinatal depression and anxiety, such as Akkermansia, Bifidobacterium and Streptococcus. In addition, Erysipelotrichaceae_UCG-003 and Eubacterium_hallii_group were positively associated with suicidal ideation. The glycine biosynthesis pathway might act as a mediator between Eubacterium_hallii_group and suicidal ideation (ab = 3.27, p