• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.813-817
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• 2005

We investigated the effect of a viscous substance from chongkukjang (chongkukjang mucilage) on immunohistochemical reactions in rat gastrointestinal (GI) tracts, Rats fed a steady diet of chongkukjang mucilage showed an increase in the immunoreactive densities of gastrin and serotonin in the pyloric region of their stomachs and duodenal villi, The number of gastrin and serotonin immunoreactive cells was significantly higher in the experimental group than in the control group. Feeding on dietary chongkukjang mucilage increased the immunohistochemical densities of $CD4^+$ and $CD8^+$ lymphocytes in the mucosa and submucosa of the rats' gastroduodenal region. The universal nitric oxide synthase (uNOS)-immunoreactive neurons and nerve fibers were strongly stained in the vascular walls of the submucosa and myenteric plexus in rats fed the test diet. The results indicate that the intake of chongkukjang mucilage could increase mucosal immune activity, gastrointestinal motility, and blood circulation in the GI tract.