Apple polyphenols and depression-like behaviour in mice on high-sucrose diets
What it found
In mice fed high-sucrose diets, apple polyphenol extracts reduced depression-like behaviours and changed bile acids, gut bacteria and stress hormones.
The work was done in mice, not people.
What they found
Animal and lab studies
Depression-like behaviour
Both the constant and the alternate high-sucrose diets produced depression-like behaviour in the mice. Apple polyphenol extract significantly reduced these behaviours.
Stress hormones
Mice on the high-sucrose diets had raised serum corticosterone and adrenocorticotrophic hormone. Apple polyphenol extract lowered both.
Tissue damage
The high-sucrose diets damaged the liver, colon and brain tissue. Apple polyphenol extract eased that damage and raised levels of Occludin, ZO-1 and MUC-2 proteins.
Gut bacteria
Apple polyphenol extract lowered the Firmicutes/Bacteroidota ratio and Dubosiella abundance, and increased Tannerellaceae_unclassified, Muribaculum and Lachnospiraceae_unclassified.
Bile acids
Apple polyphenol extract reduced Farnesoid X receptor protein and raised CYP7A1 and TGR5. It lowered total bile acids in serum and faeces and changed fecal bile acid makeup, especially glycocholic acid and isolithocholic acid.
What the authors conclude
“APE might be a potential nutraceutical to attenuate high-sucrose diet-induced depression by regulating BAs circulation within the liver-gut-brain axis mediated by FXR.”
Also in their conclusions
- They say both constant and alternate high-sucrose diets successfully induced depression-like behaviours in mice.
- They suggest apple polyphenol extract might be a potential nutraceutical to attenuate high-sucrose diet-induced depression by regulating bile acid circulation within the liver-gut-brain axis mediated by FXR.
How it was done
High-sugar diets have been linked to depression, but few studies have looked at whether apple polyphenol extracts might help, or how.
Fifty-four male mice aged 5 weeks were split into five groups: a standard diet, a constant high-sucrose diet, an alternate high-sucrose diet, and the two high-sucrose diets each with 500 mg/(kg·bw) apple polyphenol extract. Depression-like behaviour, stress hormones, liver, colon and brain tissue, gut bacteria and bile acids were measured.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- These are mouse studies. They can't show what happens in people.
- The paper does not say whether apple polyphenol extracts would have the same effects in humans.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- Suzhou Medical College of Soochow University, China; Taizhou Central Hospital (Taizhou University Hospital), China
The paper
- Title
- Apple Polyphenol Extracts Attenuated Depressive-Like Behaviors of High-Sucrose Diet Feeding Mice by Farnesoid X Receptor-Mediated Modulation of Bile Acid Circulation within the Liver-Gut-Brain Axis
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Animals and lab studies
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Xie Y, Shang S, Luan W, et al (2024). Apple Polyphenol Extracts Attenuated Depressive-Like Behaviors of High-Sucrose Diet Feeding Mice by Farnesoid X Receptor-Mediated Modulation of Bile Acid Circulation within the Liver-Gut-Brain Axis. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry. doi:10.1021/acs.jafc.4c07035PubMed 39475537DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error