CXCL8 and Anxiety: Consistent with our findings, two small double-blinded randomized controlled trials in MS patients receiving a mix of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium daily for 12 weeks showed significant improvements in disability score, depression, anxiety, and inflammatory markers including reduced IL-8 and TNF-alpha expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) [59, 100].