肝郁脾虚证是亚健康人群首要证候，也是临床多种疾病常见证候之一。目前实验重点集中于动物模型出现情绪障碍和行为改变等肝郁样表现的基础研究，而肝郁脾虚证机体出现脾胃运化功能失常的机制研究涉及不足。.课题组前期研究结果认为：下丘脑弓状核POMC/CART通路是应激状态脾胃失常的中枢关键环节；肠道菌群紊乱导致消化吸收功能障碍，则属其外周重要因素。二者相关性研究及与肝郁脾虚证机体出现食少、形瘦、便溏等表现的内在机制，是本课题组亟待研究解决的问题。.文献结合前期研究，本课题组提出，脑-肠-微生物途径可能为慢性应激肝郁致脾虚的内在生物学基础。所以，基于脑-肠-微生物途径，从下丘脑弓状核摄食相关通路和肠道微生物菌群变化的相关性，尤其Leptin-ob-R-POMC/CART通路与肠道特定微生物相关性变化，深入研究肝郁脾虚证脾胃运化功能失常的病理机制，及逍遥散（《局方》）疏肝健脾以调食欲的主要作用机理与靶点。

Liver-depression and spleen-deficiency syndrome is the chief syndrome of sub-health, and the frequent syndromes of various clinical diseases. At present, experimental studies emphasis on emotional disorders and behaviour changes relating with the liver depression, while lack of studies on spleen-stomach malfunction manifested with food-intake and body-weight decreased, and loose stool, et al...Our early study results showed POMC/CART pathway related appetites in hypothalamic arcuate nucleus(ARC) is the critical neuroendocrine basis of spleen and stomach malfunction with stress, and intestinal flora disorder lead to digestion and absorption malfunction, belongs to the external critical factors. The correlation between POMC/CART pathway and intestinal flora disorder, related spleen-stomach malfunction with liver-depression and spleen-deficiency syndrome, is our further research target..Based on the early study and literature review, we think the brain-gut-microbiota pathway is the biological basis of liver-depression and spleen-deficiency syndrome with chronic stress. So we will observe the changes of the intestinal flora and NPY/AgRP and POMC/CART neuropeptides related appetite in hypothalamus ARC, especially the relations between the intestinal flora and Leptin-ob-R-POMC/CART nervous pathway, to further more explore the biological basis of spleen and stomach malfunction in liver-depression and spleen-deficiency syndrome, and clarify the main functional mechanism and target of Xiaoyaosan (Formularies of the Bureau of People's Welfare Pharmacies) for smoothing liver to relieve depression for invigorating spleen in order to regulate appetite.