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This research evaluates how specific psychobiotic bacteria affect the gut microbiota under high stress.

July 15, 2026Scientific Reports0 citationsOpen Access

Screening psychobiotic bacteria in the human colonic microbiota under high perceived stress

EGElizabeth Goya‐JorgeNorth Carolina State University CACéline AntoineUniversity of Liège IGIrma GonzaCentral University of Ecuador

Key Points

This research evaluates how specific psychobiotic bacteria affect the gut microbiota under high stress.
Utilized M-batches of the Simulator of the Human Intestinal Microbial Ecosystem with fecal samples from stressed donors.
Evaluated nine psychobiotic formulations focusing on changes in specific gut bacteria.
Measured metabolic outputs, including dopamine and short chain fatty acids.
H. coagulans combined with L. brevis led to significant increases in Bifidobacterium and Akkermansia muciniphila.
Dopamine levels increased significantly with E. faecium + L. paracasei and H. coagulans + L. johnsonii.
Strongest activation of aryl hydrocarbon receptor metabolites was observed with H. coagulans + L. gasseri.

Abstract

Abstract Psychobiotic bacteria hold promise for modulating the gut-brain axis, particularly under stress-induced dysbiosis. In this study, nine psychobiotic formulations were evaluated using a novel simplified batch version (M-batches) of the Simulator of the Human Intestinal Microbial Ecosystem, including the mucosal compartment (M-SHIME ® ), inoculated with fecal samples from highly stressed donors. Several treatments, particularly those containing Heyndrickxia coagulans ATB-BCS-042 with either Levilactobacillus (Lv.) brevis THT-030-201 or Lactiplantibacillus plantarum THT-030-702, led to significant increases in Bifidobacterium and Akkermansia muciniphila . Modulations in butyrate-producing taxa were observed with H. coagulans + Lactobacillus ( L. ) gasseri THT-031-301 and Enterococcus faecium ATB-EFM-030 + Lactobacillus helveticus THT-031-102. Combinations of H. coagulans with either Lv . brevis , L. gasseri , or Lactobacillus johnsonii THT-032-401 facilitated lactobacilli colonization. Dopamine levels increased with E. faecium + Lacticaseibacillus ( Lc. ) paracasei THT-031-901 and H. coagulans + L. johnsonii , whereas other metabolites, such as Short Chain Fatty Acids (SCFA) and ammonia, remained largely unchanged across treatments. Metabolic outputs also included aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR)-activating metabolites, with the strongest effect seen for H. coagulans + L. gasseri , suggesting involvement with stress-related host signaling pathways. Among all probiotics, cocktails containing H. coagulans with either Lv. brevis or L. gasseri produced the most consistent and multifaceted effects. These findings underscore psychobiotic formulations that enhance gut microbiota resilience and boost metabolites potentially influencing host pathways under stress. Using fecal microbiota from highly stressed donors offers a promising in vitro approach that better reflects stress-related gut ecosystems for translational microbiome-brain axis research.

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