GABA-producing postbiotics from Levilactobacillus brevis may protect against gut-brain problems, brain inflammation, and behavior issues caused by long-term sleep loss in mice

GABA-producing postbiotics significantly alleviated anxiety- and depression-like behaviors in mice subjected to 30 days of chronic sleep deprivation.

• Chronic sleep deprivation is associated with gut dysbiosis and increased systemic inflammation.
• Treatment with GABA-producing postbiotics restored intestinal tight junction protein expression and improved intestinal barrier function.
• Postbiotic treatment increased antioxidant activity and reduced markers of systemic inflammation, such as serum lipopolysaccharide and TNF-α levels.
• Beneficial gut bacteria, including Ruminococcus and Akkermansia, were promoted by postbiotic treatment, along with increased fecal propanoic acid concentrations.
• In the brain, postbiotics upregulated genes related to the blood-brain barrier and reduced expressions of neuroinflammatory genes.
• Microbial signatures correlated with levels of short-chain fatty acids and other markers of inflammation and gut integrity.

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