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ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Constipation is one of the most common gastrointestinal complaints with a highly prevalent and often chronic functional gastrointestinal disorder affecting health-related quality of life. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of Salecan on fecal output and small intestinal transit in normal and two models of drug-induced constipation mice. METHODS: ICR mice were administrated intragastrically (i.g.) by gavage with 100, 200 and 300 mg/kg body weight (BW) of Salecan while the control mice were received saline. The constipated mice were induced by two types of drugs, loperamide (5 mg/kg BW, i.g.) and clonidine (200 mug/kg BW, i.g.), after Salecan treatment while the control mice were received saline. Number, weight and water content of feces were subsequently measured. Small intestinal transit was monitored by phenol red marker meal. RESULTS: Salecan (300 mg/kg BW) significantly increased the number and weight of feces in normal mice. In two models of drug-induced constipation, Salecan dose-dependently restored the fecal number and fecal weight. The water content of feces was markedly affected by loperamide, but not by clonidine. Treatment with Salecan significantly raised the fecal water content in loperamide-induced constipation mice. Moreover, Salecan markedly stimulated the small intestinal transit in both loperamide- and clonidine-induced constipation model mice. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that Salecan has a potential to be used as a hydrophilic laxative for constipation.
BMC Gastroenterology 03/2013; 13(1):52. · 2.42 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: The existence of peripheral oscillators has been shown, and they are critically important for organizing the metabolism of the whole body. Here we show that mice deficient in mPer2 markedly increase circulatory levels of insulin compared with wild type mice. Insulin secretion was more effectively stimulated by glucose, and alloxan, a glucose analogue, induced more severe hyperglycemia in mPer2-deficient mice. Hepatic insulin degrading enzyme (Ide) displayed an obvious day and night rhythm, which was impaired in mPer2-deficient mice, leading to a decrease in insulin clearance. Deficiency in mPer2 caused increased Clock expression and decreased expression of Mkp1 and Ide1, possibly underlying the observed phenotypes and suggesting that mPer2 plays a role in regulation of circulating insulin levels.
FEBS letters 04/2012; 586(9):1306-11. · 3.54 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Salecan is a novel water-soluble glucan produced by Agrobacterium sp. ZX09. It has potential application as a food additive with a unique chemical composition and excellent physicochemical properties. The objective of this study was to investigate the acute and subchronic toxicity of Salecan. The oral LD50 of Salecan in ICR mice was greater than 3000 mg/kg body weight. In the subchronic study, ICR mice (10/sex/group) were fed diets containing 0%, 1.0%, 2.5% and 5.0% of Salecan (weight/weight) for 13 weeks. Based on the results from the subchronic study, the overall health, body weight gain, food consumption and clinical pathology parameters were comparable between the groups feed Salecan and the control. No dose-related effects were observed in the treated animals. The only exception was the observation that blood glucose in female mice fed Salecan was lower than in the control group. In addition, the fecal matter from Salecan fed mice exhibited increased water content versus the control animals. The no observed adverse effect level (NOAEL) of 14478 mg/kg body weight/day was determined. The results from this study support the conclusion that Salecan is non-toxic at the levels tested and does not pose a risk to human health when used in food.
Food and chemical toxicology: an international journal published for the British Industrial Biological Research Association 06/2011; 49(9):2377-84. · 2.99 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Salecan is a novel soluble glucan produced by Agrobacterium sp. ZX09, displaying the ability to inhibit pancreatic amylase and reduce postprandial glucose. The research here provides an investigation of the rheological properties of Salecan solution over a wide range of shear rate (0.001–1000 s−1), frequency (0.1–100 rad/s), concentrations (0.3%, 0.5%, 1.0% and 1.5%), temperature (5–95 °C) and pH (1.0–13.0). The power law model well described the rheological behavior of the solutions, in the shear-thinning region, with high determination coefficients, R2. Salecan solutions showed a non-Newtonian viscosity behavior at all concentrations and temperatures. The solutions exhibited excellent stability below 55 °C. Viscosities were not affected after being frozen (−20 °C). Over a wide pH range from 6.0 to 12.0, the viscosity almost kept invariant. With increasing frequency, the storage and loss moduli G′ and G″ of Salecan solution increased and complex viscosities decreased continuously, which showed an elastic behaviour. All data indicated that Salecan has excellent rheological properties and could be utilized in food industry as a new source of thickening agent.Graphical abstract
Food Hydrocolloids 25(7):1719-1725. · 3.47 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: A salt-tolerant strain Agrobacterium sp. ZX09 produced a high molecular mass, water-soluble extracellular polysaccharide (EPS) composed of d-glucose. By examining periodate oxidation, 1H NMR and 13C NMR spectra, it was proven that the EPS consisted of the following repeating unit: →3)-β-d-Glcp-(1 → 3)-[β-d-Glcp-(1 → 3)-β-d-Glcp-(1 → 3)]3-α-d-Glcp-(1 → 3)-α-d-Glcp-(1→. In vitro the EPS was indigestible by α-amylase, and strongly inhibited pancreatic α-amylase activity. Fasting mice fed on the EPS failed to increase blood glucose levels. Experimental diets containing the EPS suppressed steep increase in blood glucose concentration. These results suggest that the novel water-soluble glucan could be potentially useful for decreasing absorption of dietary carbohydrate and postprandial blood glucose level.
Carbohydrate Polymers.
