• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.616-630
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• 2023

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Indole-3-propionic acid (IPA) is a tryptophan-derived microbial metabolite that has been associated with protective effects against inflammatory and metabolic diseases. However, there is a lack of knowledge regarding the effects of IPA under physiological conditions and at the intestinal level. MATERIALS/METHODS: Human intestinal epithelial Caco-2 cells were treated for 2, 24, and/or 72 h with IPA or its precursors - indole, tryptophan, and propionate - at 1, 10, 100, 250, or 500 μM to assess cell viability, integrity, differentiation, and proliferation. RESULTS: IPA induced cell proliferation and this effect was associated with a higher expression of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 2 (ERK2) and a lower expression of c-Jun. Although indole and propionate also induced cell proliferation, this involved ERK2 and c-Jun independent mechanisms. On the other hand, both tryptophan and propionate increased cell integrity and reduced the expression of claudin-1, whereas propionate decreased cell differentiation. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, these findings suggested that IPA and its precursors distinctly contribute to the proliferation, differentiation, and barrier function properties of human intestinal epithelial cells. Moreover, the pro-proliferative effect of IPA in intestinal epithelial cells was not explained by its precursors and is rather related to its whole chemical structure. Maintaining IPA at physiological levels, e.g., through IPA-producing commensal bacteria, may be important to preserve the integrity of the intestinal barrier and play an integral role in maintaining metabolic homeostasis.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.26 no.10
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• pp.1484-1489
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• 2013

The study was conducted to determine the effects of chitosan on the concentrations of GH and IGF-I in serum and small intestinal morphological structure of piglets, in order to evaluate the regulating action of chitosan on weaned pig growth through endocrine and intestinal morphological approaches. A total of 180 weaned pigs (35 d of age; $11.56{\pm}1.61kg$ of body weight) were selected and assigned randomly to 5 dietary treatments, including 1 basal diet (control) and 4 diets with chitosan supplementation (100, 500, 1,000 and 2,000 mg/kg, respectively). Each treatment contained six replicate pens with six pigs per pen. The experiment lasted for 28 d. The results showed that the average body weight gain (BWG) of pigs was improved quadratically by dietary chitosan during the former 14 d and the later 14 d after weaned (p<0.05). Furthermore, dietary supplementation of chitosan tended to quadratically increase the concentration of serum GH on d 14 (p = 0.082) and 28 (p = 0.087). Diets supplemented with increasing levels of chitosan increased quadratically the villus height of jejunum and ileum on d 14 (p = 0.089, p<0.01) and 28 (p = 0.074, p<0.01), meanwhile, chitosan increased quadratically the ratio of villus height to crypt depth in duodenum, jejunum and ileum on d 14 (p<0.05, p = 0.055, p<0.01) and 28 (p<0.01, p<0.01, p<0.01), however, it decreased quadratically crypt depth in ileum on d 14 (p<0.05) and that in duodenum, jejunum and ileum on d 28 (p<0.01, p<0.05, p<0.05). In conclusion, these results indicated that chitosan could quadratically improve growth in weaned pigs, and the underlying mechanism may due to the increase of the serum GH concentration and improvement of the small intestines morphological structure.

• Proceedings of the Korean Aquaculture Society Conference
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• 2006.05a
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• pp.484-485
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• 2006

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.931-939
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• 2017

Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is a complex multifaceted disease that involves oxidative stress and inflammation as the key mediators. Despite decades of intensive research, there are no FDA-approved therapies, and/or no effective cure is yet available. Probiotics have received increasing attention in the past few years due to their well-documented gastrointestinal health-promoting effects. Interestingly, emerging studies have suggested that certain probiotics may offer benefits beyond the gut. Lactobacillus fermentum LA12 has been previously demonstrated to play a role in inflammatory-related disease. However, the possible protective effect of L. fermentum LA12 on ALD still remain to be explored. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the possible protective effect of L. fermentum LA12 on alcohol-induced gut barrier dysfunction and liver damage in a rat model of alcoholic steatohepatitis (ASH). Daily oral administration of L. fermentum LA12 in rat model of ASH for four weeks was shown to significantly reduced intestinal nitric oxide production and hyperpermeability. Moreover, small intestinal histological- and qRT-PCR analysis further revealed that L. fermentum LA12 treatment was capable of up-regulating the mRNA expression levels of tight junction proteins, thereby stimulating the restitution of barrier structure and function. Serum and hepatic analyses also revealed that the restoration of epithelial barrier function may prevent the leakage of endotoxin into the blood, subsequently improve liver function and hepatic steatosis in the L. fermentum LA12-treated rats. Altogether, results in this study suggest that L. fermentum LA12 may be used as a dietary adjunct for the prevention and treatment of ASH.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.646-651
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• 2005

The growth responses of Ruta chalepensis leaf-derived materials toward human intestinal bacteria were examined. The biologically active constituent of the R. chalepensis extract was characterized as quinoline-4-carboxaldehyde($C_{10}H_{7}NO$). The growth responses varied depending on the bacterial strain, chemicals, and dose tested. At 0.25 and 0.1 mg/disk, quinoline-4-carboxaldehyde strongly inhibited the growth of Clostridium perfringens and weakly inhibited the growth of Escherichia coli without any adverse effects on the growth of three lactic acid bacteria. Furthermore, at 0.05 and 0.025 mg/disk, this isolate showed moderate activity against C. perfringens. In comparison, chloramphenicol at as low as 0.01 mg/disk significantly inhibited the growth of all bacteria tested, and cinnamaldehyde at 0.25 mg/disk did not inhibit Bifidobacterium bifidum, B. longum, E. coli, and Lactobacillus acidophilus, with the exception of C. perfringens. The structure-activity relationship revealed that quinoline-3-carboxaldehyde had strong growth inhibition against C. perfringens, but quinoline, quinoline-3-carboxylic acid, and quinoline-4-carboxylic acid did not inhibit the growth of B. bifidum, B. longum, C. perfringens, E. coli, and L. acidophilus. These results indicate that the carboxyl aldehyde functional group of quinolines seems to be required for growth-inhibiting activity against C. perfringens, thus indicating at least one of the pharmacological actions of R. chalepensis leaf.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.22 no.10
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• pp.1461-1476
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• 2009

This review focuses on the metabolic and osmoregulatory functions of betaine and its impact on nutrient digestibility and performance in pigs and poultry. Betaine is the trimethyl derivative of the amino acid glycine, and is present in plant and animal tissue. It has been shown to play an important role in osmoregulation of plants, bacteria and marine organisms. Due to its chemical structure, betaine exerts a number of functions both at the gastrointestinal and metabolic level. As a methyl group donor, betaine is involved in transmethylation reactions and donates its labile methyl group for the synthesis of several metabolically active substances such as creatine and carnitine. Therefore, supplementation of betaine may reduce the requirement for other methyl group donors such as methionine and choline. Beneficial effects on intestinal cells and intestinal microbes have been reported following betaine supplementation to diets for pigs and poultry, which have been attributed to the osmotic properties of betaine. Furthermore, betaine potentially enhances the digestibility of specific nutrients, in particular fiber and minerals. Moreover, at the metabolic level, betaine is involved in protein and energy metabolism. Growth trials revealed positive effects of supplemental betaine on growth performance in pigs and poultry, and there is evidence that betaine acts as a carcass modifier by reducing the carcass fat content. In conclusion, due to its various metabolic and osmoregulatory functions, betaine plays an important role in the nutrition of monogastric animals.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.127-132
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• 1988

Two adult specimens of heterophyid cuke, which belong to the genus Stictodora, were collected from the stool of a 24-year old man after chemotherapy. The nukes were morphologically characterized by their small body siRe (0.90~0.98mm long and 0.38 mm wide) and peculiar structure of ventrogenital sac with armed gonotyl (with about 12~I5 spines) not enveloping genital pore. Species identification is deferred until more worms are obtained, although they closely resemble Stictadora fuscatum (Onji and Nishio, 1916). The Patient used to eat raw flesh of mullets and gobies, which are regarded as the infection source of Stictodora sp., together with 3 other kinds of heterophyids described elsewhere. This is the first record of human Stictodora infection in the literature.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.276-281
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• 2003

The adhesion of probiotic bacteria to the intestinal mucosa is one of the desirable properties for their colonization in the intestinal tract, where these bacteria constantly compete with other bacteria. The adhesion of different strains of bifidobacteria to Caco-2 cells was compared. Among the strains examined, BGN-4 showed the highest adhesion level and the greatest cell surface hydrophobicity (CSH). No close relationship was found between the adhesion and CSH of the strains. Upon protease and heat treatment, the adhesion of the BGN-4 to the Caco-2 cells decreased significantly. The cells grown at $42^{\circ}C$ showed a lower CSH and self-aggregation levels than cells grown at $37^{\circ}C$. The treatment of EGTA did not have any effect on the adhesion. The degree of adhesion did not differ among the experimental groups in which galactose, mannose, or fucose were added in the adhesion assay mixture. The results suggest that the adhesion of the Bifidobacterium to the epithelial cells may be affected by the composition and structure of the cell membrane and interacting surfaces.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.19 no.12
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• pp.1557-1564
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• 2009

Human CDX2 is known as a caudal-related homeodomain transcription factor that is expressed in the intestinal epithelium and is important in differentiation and maintenance of the intestinal epithelial cells. The caudal-related homeobox proteins bind DNA according to a helix-turn-helix structure, thereby increasing the structural stability of DNA. A cancer-tumor suppressor role for Cdx2 has been shown by a decrease in the level of the expression of Cdx2 in colorectal cancer, but the mechanism of transcriptional regulation has not been examined at the molecular level. We developed a large-scale system for expression of the recombinant, novel CDX2, in Escherichia coli. A highly purified and soluble CDX2 protein was obtained in E. coli strain BL21(DE3)RIL and a hexahistidine fusion system using Ni-NTA affinity column, anion exchange, and gel filtration chromatographies. The identity and secondary structure of the purified CDX2 protein were confirmed by MALDI-TOF MS, Western blot, and a circular dichroism analyses. In addition, we studied the DNA-binding activity of recombinant CDX2 by ELISA experiment and isolated human CDX2-binding proteins derived from rat cells by an immobilized GST-fusion method. Three CDX2-binding proteins were found in the gastric tissue, and those proteins were identified to the homeobox protein Hox-D8, LIM homeobox protein 6, and SMC1L1 protein.

• The Journal of Korean Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapy
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.17-26
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• 1999

The pelvic floor is a muscular structure, pierced by urologic, genital, and distal intestinal tract. Also pelvic floor is not a frozen but a functional unit. The pelvic floor dysfunction has 1) laxity of soft tissue and muscle 2)rupture of pelvic floor, 3)increased the tension. The purpose of this study is to give information about the pelvic floor dysfunction and pelvic exercise. This investigate the pelvic floor structure and function, pelvic floor dysfunction, pelvic floor exercise, and recent research trends. The pelvic floor exercise is one of important exercise in physical therapy, this exercise program will be improved patients with pelvic floor dysfunction.