Flavonoids and intestinal microbes interact to alleviate depression.

Flavonoids have a variety of biological activities that are beneficial to human health. However, owing to low bioavailability, most flavonoids exert beneficial effects in the intestine through metabolism by the flora into a variety of structurally different derivatives. Also, flavonoids can modulate the type and structure of intestinal microorganisms to improve human health. It has been reported that the development of depression is accompanied by changes in the type and number of intestinal microorganisms, and gut microbes can significantly improve depressive symptoms through the gut-brain axis. Therefore, the interaction between flavonoids and intestinal microbes to alleviate depression is discussed. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.