• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.54 no.1
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• pp.51-55
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• 2011

To develop a health-aid preparation of Dioscorea batatas (DB), lactic acid fermentation was attempted using a mixed starter comprising of Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus plantarum, Bifidobacterium longum. The anaerobic fermentation of a 10% DB flour suspension gave a uniform suspension of pH 3.65, containing $8{\times}10^6$ CFU/mL lactic acid bacteria. During the administration of the lactic acid fermented DB (FDB) and DB to trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS)-induced colitis mouse model, histological lesions, morphological damage, and myeloperoxidase acitivity were significantly reduced at a dosage of 200 and 400 mg/kg/day. Dose-response (200 and 400 mg/kg/day) studies revealed that FDB pre-treatment of mice significantly ameliorated the appearance of diarrhoea and the disruption of colonic architecture. In FDB-pretreated mice, there was a significant reduction in the degree of both neutrophil infiltration (measured as decrease in myeloperoxidase activity) and weight loss rates. Theses findings suggest that FDB exerts beneficial effects in experimental colitis and may be useful in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease.