Journal of agricultural and food chemistryOct 22, 2026

Dihydromyricetin May Reduce Reserpine-Induced Depression by Changing Gut Bacteria and Brain Communication

Gut-Brain Axis Weekly Brief ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗

Updated Oct 23, 2026

Abstract

Dihydromyricetin (DMY) improved depression-like behaviors in a rat model, showing potential for dietary use.

DMY reduced symptoms of anhedonia, behavioral despair, and cognitive dysfunction in the rat model.
Circulating pro-inflammatory cytokines and neuronal damage in the hippocampus were decreased with DMY treatment.
DMY restored gut microbial diversity and composition, affecting bile acid and short-chain fatty acid profiles.
Fecal microbiota transplantation from DMY-treated rats replicated the antidepressant-like effects and restored important microbial metabolites.
These findings indicate that DMY may influence depression-like behaviors by modulating gut microbiota and neuroinflammatory responses.

Simplified

Dihydromyricetin (DMY) is a natural flavonoid with neuroprotective and antidepressant potential, but its role in the microbiota-gut-brain axis remains unclear. Using a reserpine-induced depression rat model, we integrated behavioral, inflammatory, histological, microbiota, metabolomic, and fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) analyses. DMY alleviated anhedonia, behavioral despair, and cognitive dysfunction, reduced circulating pro-inflammatory cytokines and hippocampal neuronal damage, and increased brain-derived neurotrophic factor expression. DMY also restored gut microbial diversity and composition and partially normalized bile acid and short-chain fatty acid profiles. Notably, FMT from DMY-treated donors reproduced antidepressant-like behavioral effects and restored key microbial metabolites. These findings suggest that DMY may alleviate depression-like phenotypes through coordinated regulation of gut microbiota, microbial metabolites, and neuroinflammatory responses, supporting its potential as a dietary strategy for depression management.

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Dihydromyricetin May Reduce Reserpine-Induced Depression by Changing Gut Bacteria and Brain Communication

Abstract

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