Depression has become the leading cause of disability worldwide and a growing public health problem in China. In addition, intestinal flora may be associated with depression. This study investigated the effect of the decoction Xiaoyaosan (XYS) against depressive behavior through the regulation of intestinal flora. Fifty-two healthy male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups (i.e., control, model, XYS, and fluoxetine). The latter three groups were subjected to 21 days of chronic restraint stress to produce the stress depression model. Rats in the XYS and fluoxetine groups received intragastric administration of XYS and fluoxetine, respectively. The behavioral changes of the rats were observed after 21 days. Stool specimens were sequenced using the 16S rDNA high-throughput method to detect the structure and changes in intestinal flora. There was no difference observed in alpha diversity among the groups. At the phylum level, XYS regulated the abundance of Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Chloroflexi, and Planctomycetes. At the genus level, XYS reduced the abundance of the Prevotellaceae_Ga6A1_group, Prevotellaceae_UCG-001, and Desulfovibrio. On the contrary, it increased the abundance of the Ruminococcaceae family to improve depression-like behavior. The mechanism involved in this process may be related to short-chain fatty acids, lipopolysaccharides, and intestinal inflammation.

Depression is the neurological manifestation most commonly associated with gastrointestinal diseases. The release of inflammatory cytokines mediated by TLR4/NLRP3 inflammasome signaling-induced immunoinflammatory activation may represent a common pathogenic process underlying the development of gastrointestinal diseases and depression. Clinical studies have indicated that Xiaoyaosan (XYS) can relieve depressive behavior by improving gastrointestinal symptoms. We previously demonstrated that XYS can reduce colonic inflammation in a rat model of chronic unpredictable mild stress; however, the precise anti-inflammatory mechanisms involved remain unclear. Here, we investigated whether XYS can ameliorate depressive behavior through regulating the TLR4/NLRP3 inflammasome signaling pathway, thereby inhibiting immunoinflammatory activation and reducing colonic proinflammatory cytokine levels. Fifty-two healthy male SpragueDawley rats were randomly divided into four groups (control, model, XYS, and fluoxetine). The latter three groups were subjected to 21 days of chronic restraint stress to generate a model of stress-induced depression. XYS and fluoxetine were administered intragastrically. Behavioral changes in the rats were assessed after 21 days. Serum and colon samples were collected, and the relative levels of the inflammation indicators IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α were determined by ELISA. Pathological changes in colon tissue were assessed by hematoxylin and eosin staining. The levels of TLR4, MyD88, NF-κB-p65, TAK1, IRAK1, and TRAF6 were detected by immunohistochemistry, while the gene and protein expression levels of TLR4, MyD88, NF-κB-p65, TAK1, IRAK1, TRAF6, NLRP3, ASC, and caspase-1 were detected by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and Western blotting. The results indicated that XYS could improve the depressive-like behavior and the weight loss of rats with stress-induced depression. Furthermore, depressed rats treated with XYS exhibited decreased expression levels of TLR4, MyD88, NF-κB-p65, TAK1, IRAK1, TRAF6, NLRP3, ASC, and caspase-1 in colonic tissue; reduced colon and serum concentrations of the inflammatory factors IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α; and lowered levels of colonic inflammation.

With the changes in the living patterns and dietary patterns of modern people, the incidence of nutritional and metabolic disorders as well as mental disorders is gradually increasing, and the two interact with each other. It is of great significance to explore the pathologic mechanism of nutritional and metabolic disorders as well as mental disorders and to develop drugs to intervene in the pathogenesis for the Existing evidence suggests that the multi-omics technology has now become an important tool for understanding the pathogenesis of diseases and elucidating the efficacy mechanisms of drugs. Our research theme mainly reveals that multi-omics technology has been widely used to explore the pathological mechanism of nutritional and metabolic disorders and mental disorders, and explore the therapeutic mechanism of TCM compound or monomer natural active ingredients for diseases. In summary, the studies discussed in this Research Topic highlight the important role of the multi-omics technology in various health conditions and the potential for TCM to modulate nutritional and metabolic disorders as well as mental disorders for therapeutic purposes.

Background: Depression is a leading cause of disability worldwide, and women of reproductive age account for a particularly large share of this burden. In this population, intimate partner violence (IPV) is both highly prevalent and a major, yet still insufficiently quantified contributor to depression‐related health loss, especially in low‐ and middle‐income settings. Because both depression and IPV are sensitive to reporting practices, diagnostic access, stigma, and survey coverage, comparative assessments based on standardized modeled estimates are essential but require cautious interpretation. Objectives: To analyze Global Burden of Disease (GBD)–modeled estimates of the global, regional, and national burdens and temporal trends of depression and GBD‐defined IPV‐attributable depressive disorder burden among women aged 15–49 years from 1990 to 2023; assess disparities across sociodemographic development levels and world regions; and project the future burden and its main drivers through 2050 to inform strategies for improving women’s mental health and IPV. Methods: Using GBD 1990–2023 standardized modeled estimates, we extracted incident cases, prevalent cases, YLDs, DALYs, and corresponding age‐standardized rates. For IPV‐attributable depressive disorder burden, defined according to the GBD comparative risk assessment framework, we extracted attributable DALYs, attributable YLDs, and their corresponding age‐standardized rates among women aged 15–49 years across 204 countries and territories. Temporal trends were evaluated using estimated annual percentage change (EAPC) across Sociodemographic Index (SDI), region, country, and age group. Hierarchical clustering was applied to identify regional trajectory patterns. Bayesian age–period–cohort, autoregressive integrated moving average, and exponential smoothing models were used to project the burden from 2024 to 2050. The Das–Gupta decomposition was employed to partition changes in DALYs into contributions from population growth, population age structure, and epidemiological effects. Results: In 2023, GBD estimates indicated approximately 113 million incident cases and 119 million prevalent cases of depressive disorders among women aged 15–49 years resulting in 21.44 million DALYs globally. From 1990 to 2023, estimated age‐standardized DALY rates increased for both overall depressive disorders and IPV‐attributable depressive disorder burden (RAPC 0.8% for each), with the most rapid estimated increases observed in middle‐SDI settings, Southeast Asia, Western Europe, Oceania, and among women aged 15–29 years. Model‐based projections suggested that, if historical trends persist, DALY and prevalence rates for depressive disorders may continue to increase, while IPV‐attributable DALY rates may also rise; incidence‐related indicators remained relatively stable. Decomposition analyses suggested that the increase in DALYs was mainly explained by population growth and changes in age‐specific burden rates, with rate‐related components contributing more prominently in high‐SDI settings. Conclusions: Standardized GBD‐modeled estimates suggest that the burden of depressive disorders and GBD‐defined IPV‐attributable attributable depressive disorder among women of reproductive age has risen steadily over the past three decades, and global and national strategies should prioritize integrating depression screening and early intervention into maternal, reproductive, and primary care services; systematically embedding IPV prevention and psychosocial support into women’s health programs; and tailoring mental health and violence prevention investments to sociodemographic development levels and regional contexts.