• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.540-547
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• 2017

Background: In general, after Panax ginseng is administered orally, intestinal microbes play a crucial role in its degradation and metabolization process. Studies on the metabolism of P. ginseng by microflora are important for obtaining a better understanding of their biological effects. Methods: In vitro biotransformation of P. ginseng extract by rat intestinal microflora was investigated at $37^{\circ}C$ for 24 h, and the simultaneous determination of the metabolites and metabolic profile of P. ginseng saponins by rat intestinal microflora was achieved using LC-MS/MS. Results: A total of seven ginsenosides were detected in the P. ginseng extract, including ginsenosides Rg1, Re, Rf, Rb1, Rc, Rb2, and Rd. In the transformed P. ginseng samples, considerable amounts of deglycosylated metabolite compound K and Rh1 were detected. In addition, minimal amounts of deglycosylated metabolites (ginsenosides Rg2, F1, F2, Rg3, and protopanaxatriol-type ginsenosides) and untransformed ginsenosides Re, Rg1, and Rd were detected at 24 h. The results indicated that the primary metabolites are compound K and Rh1, and the protopanaxadiol-type ginsenosides were more easily metabolized than protopanaxatriol-type ginsenosides. Conclusion: This is the first report of the identification and quantification of the metabolism and metabolic profile of P. ginseng extract in rat intestinal microflora using LC-MS/MS. The current study provided new insights for studying the metabolism and active metabolites of P. ginseng.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.169-174
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• 1995

By coculturing E. coli HGU-3 with Bifidobacterium KH-2 or Streptococcus faecalis HGO-7 with Bifidobacterium KH-2, the productivity of $\beta$-glucuronidase and $\beta$-glucosidase was inhibited. When lactulose, growth factor of lactic acid bacteria, was added into this medium, the productivity of these enzymes and pH of the medium were dramatically decreased. When intestinal microflora of human and rat were inoculated in the medium containing lactulose, the enyzme productivity and pH of the medium were dramatically decreased. By s.c. injecting DMH into mice, $\beta$-glucuronidase of intestinal bacteria was induced, but the production of the enzymes was inhibited by adminstering lactulose.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.460-465
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• 1998

The effects of food restriction on the fecal microflora, moisture, pH, indole, ${\beta}$-glucosidas, and ${\beta}$-glucuronidase in rate were studied for 4 weeks. Four groups of rats for feeding was allocated to the following experimental trials : (1) control containing 1% cellulose, (2) control with food restriction, (3) treatment of diet containing butterbur, (4) treatment of butterbur combined with diet restriction. Treatment of butterbur combined food restriction significantly (p<0.05) reduced the growth of Bacteroides, Peptococus, Streptococcus, Staphylococcus, and Escherchia coli, respectively. No remarkable changes in the ${\beta}$-glucosidase and ${\beta}$-glucuronidase activities were observed but indole content significanlty decreased. Based on these results, treatment of butterbur combined with diet restriction in rats had a significantly effect for preventing the growth of those pathogenic microorganims.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.39 no.6
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• pp.820-825
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• 2010

The functional food components from various Basidiomycota were investigated to improve human intestinal microflora, especially associated with obesity. EtOH extract from Gyrophora esculenta fruit body and Coriolus versicolor judae mycelia showed antimicrobial activities on Eubacterium limosum, Clostridium perfrigens, Clostridium paraputrificum, Clostridium difficile and Clostridium ramosum, and on Bacteroides fragilis, respectively. Although the 80% EtOH extract from G. esculenta fruit body and hot-water extract from C. versicolor judae mycelia did not reduce weight of the rats in the high fat diet, these extracts showed stability at high temperatures and at wide pH ranges. In the rat group of feeding 80% EtOH extract from G. esculanta fruit body, Bifidobacterium spp. were increased and Clostridium spp. and Eubacterium spp. were decreased compared to the high fat feeding group. Also sensory evaluation was carried out for the development of prototype drink product. These results demonstrated the possibilities of C. versicolor judae and G. esculenta as a functional food components to control intestinal microbial flora.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.157-162
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• 1997

A novel compound, named YH-487, was synthesized by attaching the thiol and aminothiazole residue to $C_3$ and $C_7$ position of 7-aminocephalosporanic acid (7-ACA). The therapeutic efficacy on infected animals, pharmacokinetics in vivo and the effect on intestinal microflora of YH-487 were examined. The pharmacokinetics of YH-487 were similar to that of cefotaxime, a third generation ${\beta}-lactam$ antibiotics, in rat. Upon in vivo administration, YH-487 was predominantly delivered to kidney, and mostly excreted through kidney without making any metabolites. The therapeutic efficacy of YH-487 to animal infected with E. coli was three times and twenty times higher than that of cefotaxime and cefotiam, respectively, In vivo administration of YH-487 to Sprague-Dawley rats significantly decreased the population of intestinal gram negative species such as Enterobacteria and Barteroides. However, no significant changes were obseved in gram positive species such as Lactobacillus, Bifidobacteria and Staphylococcus. In addition, continuous administration of YH-487 did not increase the possibility to induce resistant strains in intestinal microflora.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.43 no.6
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• pp.493-498
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• 2005

The safety assessment of Bifidobacterium longum SPM1205 isolated from healthy Koreans and this strain's inhibitory effects on fecal harmful enzymes of intestinal microflora were investigated. The overall safety of this strain was investigated during a feeding trial. Groups of SD rats were orally administered a test strain or commercial reference strain B. longum $1\times10^9\;CFU/kg$ body weight/day for four weeks. Throughout this time, their feed intake, water intake and live body weight were monitored. Fecal samples were periodically collected to test harmful enzyme activities of intestinal microflora. At the end of the four-week observation period, samples of blood, liver, spleen, kidney, and gut tissues were collected to determine for hematological parameters and histological differences. The results obtained in this experiment demonstrated that four weeks of consumption of this Bifidobacterium strain had no adverse effects on rat's general health status, blood biochemical parameters or histology. Therefore, it is likely to be safe for human use. Fecal harmful enzymes such as $\beta-glucosidase,\;\beta-glucuronidase$, tryptophanase and urease, were effectively inhibited during the administration of the B. longum SPM1205. These results suggested that this B. longum SPM 1205 could be used for humans as a probiotic strain.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.203-207
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• 2014

Background: There is limited understanding of the effect of dietary components on the absorption of ginsenosides and their metabolites into the blood. Methods: This study investigated the pharmacokinetics of the ginseng extract and its main constituent ginsenoside Rb1 in rats with or without pretreatment with a prebiotic fiber, NUTRIOSE, by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. When ginsenoside Rb1 was incubated with rat feces, its main metabolite was ginsenoside Rd. Results: When the intestinal microbiota of rat feces were cultured in vitro, their ginsenoside Rd-forming activities were significantly induced by NUTRIOSE. When ginsenoside Rb1 was orally administered to rats, the maximum plasma concentration (Cmax) and area under the plasma drug concentratione-time curve (AUC) for the main metabolite, ginsenoside Rd, were $72.4{\pm}31.6ng/mL$ and $663.9{\pm}285.3{\mu}g{\cdot}h/mL$, respectively. When the ginseng extract (2,000 mg/kg) was orally administered, Cmax and AUC for ginsenoside Rd were $906.5{\pm}330.2ng/mL$ and $11,377.3{\pm}4,470.2{\mu}g{\cdot}h/mL$, respectively. When ginseng extract was orally administered to rats fed NUTRIOSE containing diets (2.5%, 5%, or 10%), Cmax and AUC were increased in the NUTRIOSE receiving groups in a dose-dependent manner. Conclusion: These findings reveal that intestinal microflora promote metabolic conversion of ginsenoside Rb1 and ginseng extract to ginsenoside Rd and promote its absorption into the blood in rats. Its conversion may be induced by prebiotic diets such as NUTRIOSE.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.28 no.7
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• pp.849-856
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• 2018

Diarrhea is one of the main disorders which cause the highest level mortality of the post-weaning economic animal. Beech-wood creosote has been used as a traditional anti-diarrheic medicament for a long time. The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary supplementation of Beech-wood on growth performance and intestinal microbiota in rats. Twelve 4-week-old rats were randomly assigned to one of four dietary groups and fed a basal diet supplemented with none (CON), 0.5% apramycin (ANTI), 0.4% creosote (Creo 0.4), or 0.8% creosote (Creo 0.8) for 4 weeks following 1 week of adaptation period to the respective diet. Average daily gain was not influenced by the dietary treatment whereas average daily feed intake was greatest for the Creo 0.8 group. In the intestinal microbiota at the level of the phylum, the percentage of Firmicutes bacteria decreased but Bacteroidetes increased in the Creo 0.8 group vs. Control, which resulted in a decreased F/B ratio for the former (p<0.05). Moreover, the percentage of Lachnospiraceae was greater at the level of the family for the Creo 0.8 group than for Control, but the percentages of Turicibacter and Clostridium disporicum were less in the former (p<0.01) at the genus and species levels, respectively. Collectively, the present results indicate that dietary supplementation of creosote increases the feed intake and also influence the intestinal microbiota in rats.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.41 no.6
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• pp.673-680
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• 2009

This study was conducted to screen for plant food materials that improve human intestinal microflora, especially microorganisms associated with obesity. Among 30 tested plant food materials, the extract of Schizandra chinensis inactivated Eubacterium limosum, Bacteroides fragilis and Clostridium spp. Additionally, S. chinensis extract was also found to have a growth-promoting effect on Bifidobacterium spp.. The antimicrobial activity and antioxidant activity of the water extract did not decrease in respond to heating. Additionally, the water extract of S. chinensis did not show a toxic effect on the growth of Caco-2 cells. In vivo feeding tests were performed to investigate the influence of extract on the intestinal microflora in rats. Although the extract did not reduce obesity induced by a high fat diet, it led to significant increase in the population of Bifidobacterium spp. and a decrease in the population of Clostridium spp. in rats. Taken together, these results indicate that S. chinensis could be useful as a functional food component to control intestinal microbial flora.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.183-187
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• 2015

Background: Gut microflora play a crucial role in the biotransformation of ginsenosides to compound K (CK), which may affect the pharmacological effects of ginseng. Prebiotics, such as NUTRIOSE, could enhance the formation and consequent absorption of CK through the modulation of gut microbial metabolic activities. In this study, the effect of a prebiotic fiber (NUTRIOSE) on the pharmacokinetics of ginsenoside CK, a bioactive metabolite of ginsenosides, and its mechanism of action were investigated. Methods: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were given control or NUTRIOSE-containing diets (control diet + NUTRIOSE) for 2 wk, and ginseng extract or vehicle was then orally administered. Blood samples were collected to investigate the pharmacokinetics of CK using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Fecal activities that metabolize ginsenoside Rb1 to CK were assayed with fecal specimens or bacteria cultures. Results: When ginseng extract was orally administered to rats fed with 2.5%, 5%, or 10% NUTRIOSE containing diets, the maximum plasma concentration ($C_{max}$) and area under the plasma concentration-time curve values of CK significantly increased in a NUTRIOSE content-dependent manner. NUTRIOSE intake increased glycosidase activity and CK formation in rat intestinal contents. The CK-forming activities of intestinal microbiota cultured in vitro were significantly induced by NUTRIOSE. Conclusion: These results show that prebiotic diets, such as NUTRIOSE, may promote the metabolic conversion of ginsenosides to CK and the subsequent absorption of CK in the gastrointestinal tract and may potentiate the pharmacological effects of ginseng.