2026-10-11T20:21:56Z https://api.figshare.com/v2/oai

oai:figshare.com:article/34038867 2026-10-01T04:43:27Z category_303 portal_316 item_type_1 month_year_10_2026

Image 3_High-intensity interval training alleviates depressive-like behaviors and is associated with differences in gut microbiota composition and prefrontal LPS-associated inflammatory measures in CUMS rats.tif Min-Xia Huang (25152033) Shi-Yu Xia (25152036) Hua-Zhe Wan (25152039) Xing-Jian Jiang (25152042) Qiong Wu (84327) Zhigang Gong (546147) Zhen Lyu (7284581) Clinical Microbiology chronic unpredictable mild stress depression gut microbiota high-intensity interval training LPS-related inflammation Background<p>Exercise is a safe and effective intervention for improving depressive symptoms, but the effects and related mechanisms of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) remain unclear. Growing evidence suggests that interactions among the gut microbiota, immune-inflammatory responses, and the central nervous system may contribute to the development and progression of depression. This study investigated whether a 4-week HIIT intervention attenuated depressive-like behaviors and explored related differences in gut microbiota composition and prefrontal cortical lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-associated inflammatory measures.</p>Methods<p>Forty male Sprague-Dawley rats were initially assigned to either the chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) or control conditions. Following CUMS modeling and corresponding control procedures, rats were further allocated to four groups: CUMS_Sed, CUMS_Ex, Con_Sed, and Con_Ex. Exercise groups performed HIIT on motorized treadmills. Depressive-like behaviors were assessed using the sucrose preference test and the open field test, and body weight was monitored longitudinally as a secondary physiological outcome during CUMS exposure. Gut microbiota composition was profiled using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. LPS levels in the prefrontal cortex and ileum, and IL-1β levels in the prefrontal cortex, were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and prefrontal cortical Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and Rela (NF-κB p65/RelA) mRNA expression levels were assessed by reverse transcription quantitative PCR.</p>Results<p>CUMS induced marked depressive-like behaviors, including reduced sucrose preference and altered open field test performance. HIIT partially attenuated these behavioral alterations. In exploratory microbiota analyses, HIIT-treated CUMS rats differed from sedentary CUMS rats in gut microbial diversity and taxonomic composition and also showed lower prefrontal cortical LPS and IL-1β levels and lower TLR4 and Rela mRNA expression. In contrast, IL-1β was higher in exercised control rats, and ileal LPS levels were lower overall in exercised rats.</p>Conclusions<p>These findings suggest that HIIT-related improvements in depression-related phenotypes were accompanied by attenuation of LPS-associated inflammatory changes in the prefrontal cortex, while exploratory microbiota analyses identified differences in gut microbiota composition. HIIT may represent a promising exercise-based strategy for improving stress-related depressive-like phenotypes.</p> 2026-10-01T04:43:27Z Image Figure 10.3389/fcimb.2026.1929000.s006 https://figshare.com/articles/figure/Image_3_High-intensity_interval_training_alleviates_depressive-like_behaviors_and_is_associated_with_differences_in_gut_microbiota_composition_and_prefrontal_LPS-associated_inflammatory_measures_in_CUMS_rats_tif/34038867 CC BY 4.0