• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.305-314
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• 1998

Microflora in 14 breast-fed(BF) and 15 formula-fed(FF) infants were investigated before (2-3 months after birth) and after weaning (5-7 months birth) to find the floral differences between the two lactation groups and the floral changes after weaning. Bifidolbacteria showed the highest count among the species of microflora in the BF group before and after weaning, but in the FF group, streptococci showed the highest count before weaning and bifidobacteria after weaning. Before weaning , the count of bifidobacteria, lactobacilli and total acaerobes were significantly higher in the BF group than in the FF. However, the frequencies of clostridia and klesidella , along with the counts of streptococci and eubacteria, were higher in the FF group. After weaning , the only difference was that the total count of aerobic bacteria was higher in the BF group. The counts of streptococci in the BF group and lactobacilli and total anaerobes in the FF group after weaning were significantly higher than before weaning. However, the count of total aerobes in the FF group after weaning was significantly lower than the count before weaning.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.80-87
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• 1998

Intestinal microflora in 17 breast-fed(BF) and 14 formula-fed (FF) newborn infants at about 1 week after birth were investigated to determine the floral differences of the two lactation groups. The fecal conditions were significantly different between the two groups in that the number of subjects who showed watery feces, and the times of defecation per day, were higher in the BF group. In addition, the mean fecal PH of the BF group was lower than that of the FF group. The dominant species in the BF groups which showed the highest count among the species of microflora was bifidobacteria , while the dominant species in the FF group was streptococci. The frequency of staphylococci and the count of bifidobacteria were significantly higher in the BF group. However, the frquencies of streptococci and Peptococcaceae were higher in the FF group. Through the differences were not significant, the frequency of bvifidobacteria and the count of staphylococci were higher in BF group, whereas the frequencies of bacteriodes, clostridia, enterobacter and the count of clostridia were higher in FF group.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.18 no.9
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• pp.1353-1362
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• 2005

The stressful physiological and environmental conditions around weaning often promote the proliferation of pathogens in the digestive tract of piglets resulting in diarrhoea and reduced daily weight gain. Typical dietary practices to maintain growth performance and health have led to an increased use of antimicrobial growth promoters. Due to the advanced ban of antibiotics in pig production, new concepts have been developed to secure animal health and growth performance, feed efficiency, and product quality as well. Several naturally occurring compounds seem to beneficially affect the composition and activity of the microflora in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) of pigs. These are, among others, organic acids, probiotics, prebiotics, and enzymes. Organic acids are already widely used, especially in pigs, due to their positive effects on GIT health and growth performance. Probiotics have been shown to be effective against diarrhoea though effects may be dependent on diet composition and environmental conditions. Prebiotics may influence composition and activity of the intestinal microflora. Additionally, pre- and probiotics may exert positive influences on immune response, whereas enzymes may enhance feed digestibility by breaking down anti-nutritional factors. In the following, the focus will be directed to the role of organic acids, probiotics, prebiotics, and feeding enzymes as potential modulators of GIT health.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.165-176
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• 2009

Korean ginseng, which contains ginsenosides and polysaccharides as its main constituents, is orally administered to humans. Ginsenosides and polysaccharides are not easily absorbed by the body through the intestines due to their hydrophilicity. Therefore, these constituents which include ginsenosides Rb1, Rb2, and Rc, inevitably come into contact with intestinal microflora in the alimentary tract and can be metabolized by intestinal microflora. Since most of the metabolites such as compound K and protopanaxatriol are nonpolar compared to the parental components, these metabolites are easily absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract. The absorbed metabolites may express pharmacological actions, such as antitumor, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic, and neuroprotective effects. However, the activities that metabolize these constituents to bioactive compounds differ significantly between individuals because all individuals possess characteristic indigenous strains of intestinal bacteria. Recently, ginseng has been fermented with enzymes or microbes to develop ginsengs that contain these metabolites. However, before using these enzymes and probiotics, their safety and biotransforming activity should be assessed. Intestinal microflora play an important role in the pharmacological action of orally administered ginseng.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.29 no.8
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• pp.1255-1265
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• 2019

To investigate the diversity of gastrointestinal microflora and lignocellulose-degrading enzymes in wild Asian elephants, three of these animals living in the same group were selected for study from the Wild Elephant Valley in the Xishuangbanna Nature Reserve of Yunnan Province, China. Fresh fecal samples from the three wild Asian elephants were analyzed by metagenomic sequencing to study the diversity of their gastrointestinal microbes and cellulolytic enzymes. There were a high abundance of Firmicutes and a higher abundance of hemicellulose-degrading hydrolases than cellulose-degrading hydrolases in the wild Asian elephants. Furthermore, there were a high abundance and a rich diversity of carbohydrate active enzymes (CAZymes) obtained from the gene set annotation of the three samples, with the majority of them showing low identity with the CAZy database entry. About half of the CAZymes had no species source at the phylum or genus level. These indicated that the wild Asian elephants might possess greater ability to digest hemicellulose than cellulose to provide energy, and moreover, the gastrointestinal tracts of these pachyderms might be a potential source of novel efficient lignocellulose-degrading enzymes. Therefore, the exploitation and utilization of these enzyme resources could help us to alleviate the current energy crisis and ensure food security.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.163-170
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• 2020

Background: Gut microflora contributes to the nutritional metabolism of the host and to strengthen its immune system. However, if the intestinal barrier function of the living body is destroyed by radiation exposure, the intestinal bacteria harm the health of the host and cause sepsis. Therefore, this study aims to trace short-term radiation-induced changes in the mouse gut microflora-dominant bacterial genus, and analyze the degree of intestinal epithelial damage. Materials and Methods: Mice were irradiated with 0, 2, 4, 8 Gy X-rays, and the gut microflora and intestinal epithelial changes were analyzed 72 hours later. Five representative genera of Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, and Bacteroidetes were analyzed in fecal samples, and the intestine was pathologically analyzed by Hematoxylin-Eosin and Alcian blue staining. In addition, DNA fragmentation was evaluated by the TdT-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) assay. Results and Discussion: The small intestine showed shortened villi and reduced number of goblet cells upon 8 Gy irradiation. The large intestine epithelium showed no significant morphological changes, but the number of goblet cells were reduced in a radiation dose-dependent manner. Moreover, the small intestinal epithelium of 8 Gy-irradiated mice showed significant DNA damaged, whereas the large intestine epithelium was damaged in a dose-dependent manner. Overall, the large intestine epithelium showed less recovery potential upon radiation exposure than the small intestinal epithelium. Analysis of the intestinal flora revealed fluctuations in lactic acid bacteria excretion after irradiation regardless of the morphological changes of intestinal epithelium. Altogether, it became clear that radiation exposure could cause an immediate change of their excretion. Conclusion: This study revealed changes in the intestinal epithelium and intestinal microbiota that may pave the way for the identification of novel biomarkers of radiation-induced gastrointestinal disorders and develop new therapeutic strategies to treat patients with acute radiation syndrome.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.35-40
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• 2000

The effect of levanheptaose produced by levanase from Streptomyces sp. 366L on principle intestinal microflora was investigated. The reaction product, levanheptaose, was used as a carbon source for various intestinal microflora. As a results, Bifidobacterium adolescentis, Lactobacillus acidophilus, and Eubacterium limosum grew effectively in the in vitro experiment, whereas Clostridium perfringens, E. coli, and Staphylococcus aureus did not. Therefore levanheptaose seems to promote selectively the growth of B. adolescentis and L. acidophilus. In the in vivo experiment, the effect of levanheptaose on the growth of intestinal microflora, $\beta$-fructosidase activity, pH, and butyrate concentration were examined in rats. Apparently, the number of fecal Bifidobacteria, the amount of butyrate, and $\beta$-fructosidase activity were increased, whereas total aerobes and pH were reduced in rats fed by levanheptaose diets, compared with those of control diets. We concluded that those effects may be beneficial in improving gastrointestinal health.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.597-612
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• 2000

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of soyoligosaccharides on intestinal microflora transit time lipid profiles and immune responses. Forty-eight male rats of Sprague-Dawley strain were divided into six groups(SYS: soybean oil-sucrose SYO: soybean oil-oligo SES; esame oil-sucrose SEO:sesame oil-oligo BFS : beef tallow-sucrose BFO : beef tallow-oligo) soyoligo-groups(SYO, SEO, BEO) were fed the diet containing 5% soyoligosaccharides but control groups not fed them and all groups were fed 20% fats for 4 weeks. The number of fecal bifidobacteria tended to increase after soyoligosaccharides feeding. The significant increase was found in SEO group compared to SES in that of fecal bifidobacteria,. Stool wet weight dry fecal weight and stool water content were increased significantly in soyoligo-group(SYO, SEO, BFO) compared to control groups(SYS, SES, BFS) and gastrointestinal transit time(TT) tended to increase. Soyoligosaccharides lowered plasma cholesterol in SEO group significantly more than did other groups. soyoligo-groups(SYO, SEO, BFO) tended to decrease liver triglycerides compared to control groups. Plasma IgG concentration increased in beef tallow groups(BFS, BFO) than that in other dietary fat groups. Soyoligosaccharides and kinds of fats had effects on plasma C3 concentration and mitogenesis of the spleen cells. Soyoligosaccharides had no effects on plasma leptin and insulin concentration but kinds of fats did so that sesame groups were decreased significantly in plasma leptin concentration but increased significantly in plasma insulin concentration compared to other dietary fat groups. In conclusion dietary soyoligosaccharides changed the composition of the intestinal microflora beneficially with sesame oil and partially had effect on plasma and liver lipid profiles .(Korean J Nutrition 33(6) : 597∼612, 2000)

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.77-83
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• 2001

To clarify functionality of depolymerized alginate obtained by hydrolysis of alginate through a heating process at $121^{\circ}C$ on gastrointestinal physiology, the effects of a depolymerized alginate on fecal microflora and the intestinal environment were studied in rats. Rats were fed with diets containing 1, 5 and $10\%$ of each depolymerized alginate (HAG-10, HAG-50 and HAG-100) and alginate for 35 days, Among 20 species of authentic intestinal bacteria, Bacteroides ovatus showed the abilities to ferment HAG-10 HAG-50, HAG-100 and alginate, The 1, 5 and $10\%$ of HAG-50 and $1\%$ of alginate diets resulted in the increased ratio of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus to total bacteria, while the 5 and $10\%$ alginate diets decreased in feces of rats, significantly (p<0.01). These results suggested that $5\%$ HAG-50 diets contribute to an improvement of intestinal microflora in rats.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.252-255
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• 2001

This study was performed to investigate the influence of dietary mulberry leaf on the intestinal microflora in rats. Rats were fed each experimental diets containing 1%, 10% of mulberry leaf powder for 4 weeks. Total viable counts and the numbers of Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus, Clostridium, E. coli and Staphylococcus were determined by nonselective media and various selective media. A decrease in the intestinal population of Clostridium was shown in dietary mulberry leaf group. The E. coli and Staphylococcus populations decreased in dietary mulberry leaf group compared with control group. Methanol extract and fractions of mulberry leaf were subjected to an in vitro screening test for their growth-inhibitory activity. Methanol extract and Water fraction of Mulberry leaves showed weak growth-inhibition of Clostridium perfringens. These results indicate that the composition of gastrointestinal microflora was improved by treatment of mulberry leaves in SD rats and was very effective for growth inhibition of the intestinal harmful bacteria in intestine. Therefore, the mulberry leaves as a newly bio-material can be a useful material for physiologically functional food.