Postbiotics Made From Selected Lactic Acid Bacteria Improves Chronic Restraint Stress‐Induced Anhedonia and Sleep Disorders

Sleep disorders have become one of the most prevalent neuropsychiatric disorders in recent years. This study aimed to investigate the effects of postbiotics derived from selected lactic acid bacteria on anhedonia and sleep disorders in chronic restraint stress (CRS)-induced mice, as well as their potential mechanisms. Mice were orally administered normal saline, low, medium, or high doses of postbiotics for 30 days, with CRS applied from days 1 to 21. The medium dose of postbiotics significantly increased the sucrose preference index, and the high dose of postbiotics significantly increased sleep duration. Postbiotic treatment effectively restored the diversity and composition of the gut microbiota to levels comparable to those observed in the vehicle (Veh) group. Furthermore, low and medium doses of postbiotics significantly reduced serum corticosterone levels, and medium and high doses significantly reduced serum IL-1β levels. Additionally, postbiotics administration significantly increased glutamate and GABA levels in both the prefrontal cortex and hypothalamus, as well as GABA levels in the feces. These results indicate that postbiotics alleviate CRS-induced anhedonia and sleep disorders in a dose-dependent manner. This effect may be mediated through the restoration of homeostasis in the MGB axis, HPA axis, inflammation pathways, and neurotransmitter balance.