ArticleTranslational psychiatry2020
Ergothioneine, a metabolite of the gut bacterium Lactobacillus reuteri, protects against stress-induced sleep disturbances.
Article in Translational psychiatry, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 50 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
50 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 104 citations in OpenAlex.
- Exploring the causal association between serum metabolites and erectile dysfunction: a bidirectional Mendelian randomisation study.International journal of impotence research · 2025Pooled it
- Article
- Oral Actinomyces Species Exposure is Associated with Anxiety-Like Behavior, Mitochondrial Remodeling, and Altered GABAergic Pathways.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2026Article
- Ergothioneine: Biosynthesis, Molecular Mechanisms, Physiological Function, and Role in Disease.MedComm · 2026Review
- Exploring the role of ergothioneine and mycorrhizal fungi in shaping the wheat soil microbiome.Environmental microbiome · 2026Article
- Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Activities of Probiotic Strains.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Ergothioneine, collagen peptides, and sodium hyaluronate ameliorate facial skin aging via modulating oxidative stress, inflammation, and extracellular matrix homeostasis.Frontiers in nutrition · 2026Article
- Microbial metabolites as engines of behavioral variation across animals.Gut microbes · 2025Review
- Microbiota metabolites affect sleep as drivers of brain‑gut communication (Review).International journal of molecular medicine · 2025Review
- Dietary Qiwenghuangbo powder-enriched Limosilactobacillus reuteri protects the intestinal epithelium and alleviates inflammation via a strain-specific mechanism.Animal models and experimental medicine · 2025Article
- Estimation and Validation of an Effective Ergothioneine Dose for Improved Sleep Quality Using Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic Model.Food science & nutrition · 2025Article
- Algal and Fungal Antioxidants Alleviate Oxidative Stress-Induced Reproductive Defects.Food science & nutrition · 2025Review
- Article
- I "Gut" Rhythm: the microbiota as a modulator of the stress response and circadian rhythms.The FEBS journal · 2025Review
- Inhibitory Effect ofBiomolecules · 2025Article
- The Effects of Antioxidant Approved Drugs and Under Investigation Compounds with Potential of Improving Sleep Disorders and their Associated Comorbidities Associated with Oxidative Stress and Inflammation.Mini reviews in medicinal chemistry · 2025Review
- The Impact of Probiotic Supplementation on the Sleep Quality of Humans: A Review of Results of Randomized, Blinded, Controlled Studies.Current pharmaceutical design · 2025Review
- Gut microbiota: a new target for the prevention and treatment of insomnia using Chinese herbal medicines and their active components.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2025Review
- Gut microbial community plasticity as a climate shield mediating sea cucumber resilience to ocean acidification and warming.ISME communications · 2025Article
- Emerging Roles of Modern Lifestyle Factors in Microbiome Stability and Functionality.Current clinical microbiology reports · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
The relationships between depression and gut microbiota, particularly those involving the immune system, have become a major focus of recent research. Here, we analyzed changes in gut microbiota and their sulfur metabolites in the feces of a depression rat model using the modified 14-day social defeat stress (SDS) paradigm. Our results showed that SDS increased fecal Lactobacillus reuteri in correlation with ergothioneine levels at around day 11, which continued for at least 1 month following SDS administration. In vitro study further revealed that L. reuteri is capable of producing ergothioneine. Although the known anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative actions of ergothioneine suggested that the increased fecal ergothioneine levels may be related to intestinal anti-inflammatory defense mechanisms, no change was observed in the plasma ergothioneine levels during the same observation period, indicating that the defense mechanisms may not be sufficiently reflected in the body. As ergothioneine is a natural ingredient that is absorbed mainly from the upper gastrointestinal tract, we hypothesized that oral ergothioneine may exert antidepressant effects. As expected, oral administration of ergothioneine prior to and during the SDS paradigm had a preventative effect on SDS-induced depressive behaviors, such as social avoidance and depression-like sleep abnormalities, particularly those of rapid eye movement sleep. These findings indicate that ergothioneine, a metabolite of L. reuteri, may be a common substance in the microbiota-gut-brain axis that prevents stress-induced sleep disturbances, especially those associated with depression.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.