• Journal of Life Science
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.260-265
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• 2014

Dried Citrus unshiu peels (Aurantii Nobilis Pericarpium; ANP) are used as a traditional folk medicine for the treatment of gastrointestinal (GI) motility disorders in East Asia, including Korea. In the present study, an ethanolic extract of ANP (ANP-E) exhibited no significant toxicity in mice, even at an oral dose of 5 g/kg. The effects of ANP-E on GI motor function were investigated by measuring the intestinal transit rate (ITR) of Evans blue in normal mice and mice with experimental GI motility dysfunction (i.e., peritoneal irritation by acetic acid; PIA). In normal mice, ANP-E significantly increased the ITR in a dose-dependent manner. The ITR in the PIA mice was significantly retarded compared to that in the normal mice. However, ANP-E significantly inhibited this retardation in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, in all the models, the potency of ANP-E appeared to be same or higher than that of cisapride, which was used predominantly for the treatment of various GI motility disorders in humans in the 1900s but was removed from the market in 2000 due to fatal side effects. The results suggest that ANP-E has potential as a new prokinetic agent that could be used as a substitute for cisapride.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.131-136
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• 2006

During lactic acid bacteria (LAB) transit through the gastrointestinal tract, ingested microorganisms were exposed to successive stress factors, including low pH in the human stomach and in bile acid. These stress factors can be used as criteria for the selection of a viable probiotic strain. Four such strains (Lactobacillus helveticus SGU 0011, Lactobacillus pentosus SGU 0010, Streptococcus thermophilus SGU 0021 and Lactobacillus casei SGU 0020) were isolated from raw milk. When the identified LAB were exposed to synthetic gastric juice, whereas L. casei SGU 0020 and S. thermophilus SGU 0021 exhibited a 0% survival rate, L. helveticus SGU 0011 and L. pentosus SGU 0010 exhibited 60% and 95% survival rates. L. casei SGU 0020 and S. thermophilus SGU 0021 could not be examined with regard to their tolerances to artificial bile juice, as they uniformly died upon exposure. However, L. helveticus SGU 0011 and L. pentosus SGU 0010 individually survived at rates of 39% and 93%. Also, all four of these strains were confirmed to be tolerant of ten different antibiotics.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.1 no.4
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• pp.266-272
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• 2007

The present study evaluated the effect of various dosages of soybean isoflavone extract on body weight changes, glucose tolerance and liver function in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. One group of normal rats (normal control) was fed an AIN-76-based experimental diet and four groups of diabetic rats were fed the same diet supplemented with four different levels of soybean isoflavone extract for seven weeks. The daily dosages of pure isoflavone for four diabetic groups were set to be 0 mg (diabetic control), 0.5 mg (ISO-I), 3.0 mg (ISO-II) and 30.0 mg (ISO-III) per kilogram of body weight, respectively. The daily consumption of isoflavone at the level of 3.0mg per kilogram of body weight resulted in the suppression of body weight loss and increased the survival rate of diabetic animals one and half times compared to that of the diabetic control group. Blood glucose levels in a fasting state and after the oral administration of glucose were significantly lower in the ISO-II group during the oral glucose tolerance test. The ISO-II group showed a tendency to elongate the gastrointestinal transit time. The activity of serum aminotransferases, indicator of liver function, was not negatively affected by any intake level of isoflavone. The present study demonstrated that the soybean isoflavone extract may be beneficial to diabetic animals by improving their glucose tolerance and suppressing weight loss without incurring hepatotoxicity at the daily dosage of 3.0 mg per kg of body weight.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.735-739
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• 2019

The dried rhizomes and roots of Gentiana scabra (GS) have been frequently prescribed as a traditional folk medicine in East Asia (including China, Japan, and Korea) for the treatment of various pathophy-siological conditions, such as inflammatory skin diseases, anorexia, indigestion, gastric infections, and diabetes mellitus. In the present study, the effects of aqueous (GS-W) and ethanolic (GS-E) extracts of GS on gastrointestinal (GI) motor function were investigated by measuring the in vivo gastric emptying rate (GER) and the intestinal transit rate (ITR) in mice. The GER was significantly increased by GS-W at a dose of 1 g/kg. The ITR was significantly increased by GS-W (at doses of 0.1 and 1 g/kg) or GS-E (at a dose of 1 g/kg) in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, the ITR value of GS-W (at a dose of 1 g/kg) appeared to be higher than that of cisapride, which was the most prominent prokinetic agent in the 1900s but was removed from the market in 2000 due to its fatal side effects. The above results suggest that GS-W might be a potential prokinetic agent to replace cisapride.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.505-511
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• 2004

The effects of single cells of carrot or radish on the fecal excretion, mineral absorption rate and structure of small intestine and colon were investigated in rats fed 5% single cell diet for 4 weeks. Carrot contained 28.76% of total dietary fiber and 21.45% of insoluble dietary fiber, and radish contained 23.14% of total dietary fiber and 16.77% of insoluble dietary fiber on a dry weight basis. Total dietary fiber contents of the single cell were 44.68% for carrot, 48.0% for radish. Absorption rates of magnesium were higher in the carrot and radish single cell groups than the other groups. Cellulose significantly increased fecal weight and weight of small intestine. The consumption of cellulose and single cells decreased digestibility of lipid. The length of colon were longer in the carrot and the radish group than the other groups. Scanning electron microscopy studies showed that small intestine microvilli with leaf-shaped were seen in cellulose and single cell fed groups. These results suggest that the diet containing 5% single cells of carrot or radish increases the digestibility of dietary fiber, weight gain, and fecal output and shorten the gastrointestinal transit time.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.427-431
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• 2006

This study was performed to investigate the influence of giant embryo feeding on hypoglycemia in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Streptozotocin -induced diabetic rats were fed four kinds of experimental diets such as corn starch diet as a control, polished rice diet, brown rice diet and giant embeyonic rice diet for 6 weeks. The body weight gain diabetic of control was signaficantly suppressed compared to that of the normal. The supplementation of giant embryo increased the surivival rate. Feeding of giant embryo appeared to have ameliorating effects on diabetic symptoms including features such as polyphasia, polyuria. Giant embryo shortened gastrointestinal transit time and increased total fecal weight, total fecal dry weight and fecal water content compared with diabetic control. Giant embryo showed fasting blood glucose lowering effect compared with diabetic control. The disaccharidase activities in proximal part of intestine such as maltase sucrase and lactase in giant embryo feeding groups were lower than diabetic control. The results of this study show that giant embryo supplementation may have a beneficial Veffect on the hypoglycemia may be useful in the diet therapy for diabetic.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.29 no.7
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• pp.998-1003
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• 2016

Although exogenous protease enzymes have been used in poultry diets quite extensively, this has not been the case for pig diets. In general, due to their better gut fermentative capacity and longer transit time, pigs have greater capacity to digest dietary proteins than poultry. However, in early-weaned piglets, the stress brought about by weaning adversely affects the digestion of dietary proteins. Therefore, a study was conducted to determine the effects of a commercial protease enzyme in weanling pigs. Indices of growth, nutrient digestibility, blood profiles, fecal microflora, fecal gas emission and fecal scores were measured during the study. A total of 50 weanling pigs ($6.42{\pm}0.12kg$) at 28 d of age were randomly assigned to receive 1 of 2 dietary treatments: i) control diet (corn-soy based) with no supplemental protease (CON), and ii) control diet+200 g/ton protease (PROT) for 42 d. A completely randomized design consisting of 2 treatments, 5 replicates, and 5 pigs in each replicate was used. Growth performance in terms of body weight ($27.04{\pm}0.38kg$ vs $25.75{\pm}0.39kg$; p<0.05) and average daily gain ($491{\pm}7.40g$ vs $460{\pm}7.46g$; p<0.05) in PROT fed pigs were increased significantly, but gain per feed ($0.700{\pm}0.01$ vs $0.678{\pm}0.01$; p>0.05) was similar between treatments at d 42. Relative to CON pigs, PROT fed pigs had increased (p<0.05) apparent total tract digestibility ($84.66%{\pm}0.65%$ vs $81.21%{\pm}1.13%$ dry matter and $84.02%{\pm}0.52%$ vs $80.47%{\pm}1.22%$ nitrogen) and decreased (p<0.05) $NH_3$ emission ($2.0{\pm}0.16ppm$ vs $1.2{\pm}0.12ppm$) in the feces at d 42. Except for a decreased (p<0.05) in blood creatinine level, no differences were observed in red blood cell, white blood cell, lymphocyte, urea nitrogen, and IgG concentrations between treatments. Fecal score and fecal microflora (Lactobacillus and E. coli) were also similar between CON and PROT groups. Overall, the supplementation of protease enzyme in weanling pigs resulted in improved growth rate and nutrient digestibility. Exogenous protease enzyme reduced fecal $NH_3$ emission, thus, potentially serving as a tool in lowering noxious gas contribution of livestock production in the environment.