Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is an important neuropsychiatric disorder worldwide. Common treatments of OCD include serotonergic antidepressants, which can cause potentially serious side effects. We assessed the effects of Lactobacillus casei (L. casei) Shirota consumption in an animal model of OCD. OCD-like symptoms were induced in rats by the chronic injection of the D2/D3 dopamine agonist quinpirole hydrochloride. Rats were classified into five groups of 6 rats. Four groups were injected chronically with quinpirole (0.5 mg/kg, twice weekly for 5 weeks). They were fed with L. casei Shirota (109 CF/g, daily for 4 weeks) (group 1), fluoxetine (10 mg/kg, daily for 4 weeks) (group 2), combination of L. casei Shirota and fluoxetine (group 3), and normal saline (positive control group). The last group did not receive dopamine agonist and was only injected with saline (negative control group). Expression levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (Bdnf), solute carrier family 6 member 4 (Slc6a4), and 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor type 2A (Htr2a) were assessed in orbitofrontal cortex tissues of all rats. Behavioral tests showed improvement of OCD signs in rats treated with L. casei Shirota, fluoxetine, and a combination of drugs. Quantitative PCR analysis showed a remarkable decrease in the expression of Bdnf and an increase in the expression of Htr2a in quinpirole-treated rats. After treatment with L. casei Shirota and fluoxetine, the expression level of Bdnf was increased remarkably, whereas Htr2a expression was decreased. The current study showed the effectiveness of L. casei Shirota in the treatment of OCD in a rat model. The beneficial effects of this probiotic are possibly exerted through the modulation of serotonin-related genes expression.

中文翻译：

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干酪乳杆菌消费对改善强迫症的作用：一项动物研究。

强迫症（OCD）是世界范围内重要的神经精神疾病。强迫症的常见治疗方法包括血清素能抗抑郁药，可能引起严重的副作用。我们在强迫症的动物模型中评估了干酪乳杆菌（干酪乳杆菌）Shirota食用的影响。慢性注射D2 / D3多巴胺激动剂盐酸喹吡罗可诱发OCD样症状。将大鼠分为5组，每组6只。四组患者长期注射喹吡罗（0.5 mg / kg，每周两次，共5周）。给他们喂食干酪乳杆菌Shirota（109 CF / g，每天4周）（组1），氟西汀（10 mg / kg，每天4周）（组2），干酪乳杆菌Shirota和氟西汀（组1）。第3组）和生理盐水（阳性对照组）。最后一组未接受多巴胺激动剂，仅注射了盐水（阴性对照组）。在所有大鼠的眶额皮质组织中评估了脑源性神经营养因子（Bdnf），溶质载体家族6成员4（Slc6a4）和5-羟色胺受体2A型（Htr2a）的表达水平。行为测试表明，用干酪乳杆菌Shirota，氟西汀和多种药物治疗的大鼠的强迫症症状有所改善。定量PCR分析显示，在喹吡罗治疗的大鼠中，Bdnf的表达显着下降，而Htr2a的表达则显着增加。用干酪乳杆菌Shirota和氟西汀治疗后，Bdnf的表达水平显着升高，而Htr2a的表达则降低。当前的研究表明干酪乳杆菌Shirota在大鼠模型中治疗OCD的有效性。