The pharmacological mechanism of Xiaoyaosan polysaccharide reveals improvement of CUMS-induced depression-like behavior by carbon source-triggered butyrate-producing bacteria

These findings suggest that the Xiaoyaosan polysaccharide alleviates unpredictable mild stress-induced depression-like chronic behavior in rats by regulating the composition and abundance of the entire intestinal flora, restoring the diversity of butyrate-producing bacteria, and increasing the butyrate levels.