Steroids, stress and the gut microbiome-brain axis

Abstract

It is becoming well established that the gut microbiome has a profound impact on human health and disease. In this review, we explore how steroids can influence the gut microbiota and, in turn, how the gut microbiota can influence hormone levels. Within the context of the gut microbiome-brain axis, we discuss how perturbations in the gut microbiota can alter the stress axis and behaviour. In addition, human studies on the possible role of gut microbiota in depression and anxiety are examined. Finally, we present some of the challenges and important questions that need to be addressed by future research in this exciting new area at the intersection of steroids, stress, gut-brain axis and human health.

Keywords: androgen; microbiota; oestrogen; steroid hormones; stress.

© 2017 British Society for Neuroendocrinology.

Figures

FIGURE 1

The gut microbiome-brain axis. The gut microbiome (which consists of the microbiota, their genomes and their products) can influence brain function through a variety of mechanisms, including the production of neurotransmitters and short chain fatty acids (SCFAs), the modulation of the release of cytokines by immune cells and the vagus nerve. Conversely, the brain can influence the gut microbiota via regulation of endocrine systems (eg, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal and hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axes)