Effects of Dietary Fiber Sources on the Composition Intestinal Microflora in Aged Rate

노화 흰쥐의 장내 균총 조성에 대한 식이섬유질원의 영향

This study was performed to investigate the influence of vadrious dietary fiber sources such as mugwort, apple, sea mustard, butterbur on the intestinal in aged rats. Nine groups of aged rats (12months after weanling) were fed each experimental diet containing 5% and 15% dietary fibers for 4 weeks. The contents in large intestine of aged rats used for the measurement of intestinal microflora. Total viable counts and the numbers of Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus, Clostridium, E. coli and Staphylococcus were determined by nonselective medium and various selective media. The intake of dietary fiber sources employed did not show any differece in the number of total microorganisms, Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium. It was remarkable that Clostridium perfringens appeared in the colon of aged rats. The prpulations of Peptococcus and Clostridium were significantly larger in the apple 5% group than in other dietary fiber groups while the number of Staphylococcus was significantly smaller in the dietary fiber groups than in cellulose group. And the Streptococcus populations decreased in the mugwort 15% group. Accordingly, the mugwort 15% group is effective in improving intestinal flora of aged rats.