Correlation between depressive-like behavior and gut microbiota in mice with hypothyroidism

Figure 1 Mice with hypothyroidism exhibit depression-like behaviors. A: Experimental setup: Mice were divided into control and hypothyroid groups (HO), with the HO group receiving propylthiouracil in their drinking water for 30 days; B: Body weight significantly decreased in the HO group over time; C-E: Hormonal analysis reveals reduced levels of free thyroxine and total thyroxine, and increased thyroid-stimulating hormone in the HO group, confirming hypothyroidism; F: The sucrose preference test shows a reduced preference in the HO group, suggesting anhedonia; G and H: The tail suspension and forced swimming tests indicate increased immobility times in the HO group, reflecting depressive-like behavior; I: Movement paths in the open field test demonstrate reduced activity in the HO group; J-L: The open field test results show decreased total distance traveled, fewer entries into the center, and less time spent in the center for the HO group, indicating anxiety-like behavior. Results are depicted as mean ± SEM. ^aP < 0.05, ^bP < 0.01, ^cP < 0.001 indicate statistical significance. HO: Hypothyroid group; PTU: Propylthiouracil; T4: Thyroxine; FT4: Free thyroxine; TSH: Thyroid-stimulating hormone.