Gut microbial 3α-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase induces depression in males via degrading testosterone (1/2025)

Abstract

This image illustrates our paper on how gut microbiota induces depression via degrading testosterone in man. The human in the center of the picture represents the emotions of men. The blue background represents the emotion of depression. Surrounding men are different species of gut bacteria. The small balls near bacteria represent testosterone molecules. This indicates gut microbiota degrades testosterone via produces 3α-HSD enzyme. The whole picture demonstrates that the 3α-HSD enzyme produced by gut microbiota decreases testosterone in man via degradation ability and induces depression, which indicates that 3α-HSD enzyme are potential targets for depression. This personification visualizes the core concept of our paper.