Issue 1, 2020

Structurally different mixed linkage β-glucan supplements differentially increase secondary bile acid excretion in hypercholesterolaemic rat faeces

Abstract

Mixed linkage (1→3),(1→4)-β-D-glucan (BG) is a soluble fibre available from oat and barley grains that has been gaining interest due to its health-promoting role in cardiovascular diseases and its ability to modulate the glycaemic index which is beneficial for people with diabetes. This study investigates the effect of three purified barley BGs, with different molecular weight and block structure, on faecal bile acid excretion in hypercholesterolaemic rats. Wistar rats (48 male) were divided in four groups: Control group fed with the cellulose-rich diet (CON); Glucagel group fed with the commercial BG (GLU, 100 kDa), and rats fed with low molecular weight BG (LBG, 150 kDa) and medium molecular weight BG (MBG, 530 kDa). The bile acid profiles of rat faecal samples were measured using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). A metabolite profiling approach led to the identification of 7 bile acids and 45 other compounds such as sterols, fatty acids and fatty alcohols. Subsequent application of ANOVA-simultaneous component analysis and Principal Component Analysis revealed that all three BG diets increased bile acid faecal excretion compared to the control group. The bile acid excretion was found to be different in all three BG diets and the MBG group showed a significantly higher level of faecal secondary bile acids, including deoxycholic acid, hyodeoxycholic acid, and lithocholic acid. We hypothesise that the hydrophobic surface of the secondary bile acids, which are known to cause colon cancer, has high affinity to the hydrophobic surfaces of cellulosic blocks of the BG. This in vivo study demonstrates that the molecular weight and/or block structures of BG modulate the excretion of secondary bile acids. This finding suggests that developing diets with designed BGs with an optimal molecular structure to trap carcinogenic bile acids can have a significant impact on counteracting cancer and other lifestyle associated diseases.

Graphical abstract: Structurally different mixed linkage β-glucan supplements differentially increase secondary bile acid excretion in hypercholesterolaemic rat faeces

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
18 Dec 2018
Accepted
05 Dec 2019
First published
06 Dec 2019

Food Funct., 2020,11, 514-523

Structurally different mixed linkage β-glucan supplements differentially increase secondary bile acid excretion in hypercholesterolaemic rat faeces

N. Iaccarino, B. Khakimov, M. S. Mikkelsen, T. S. Nielsen, M. G. Jensen, A. Randazzo and S. B. Engelsen, Food Funct., 2020, 11, 514 DOI: 10.1039/C8FO02507J

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements