Clinical Outcomes after Oat Beta-Glucans Dietary Treatment in Gastritis Patients.

The prevalence of gastritis in humans is constantly growing and a prediction of an increase in this health problem is observed in many countries. For this reason, effective dietary therapies are sought that can alleviate the course of this disease. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of chemically pure oat beta-glucan preparations with different molar masses, low or high, used for 30 days in patients with histologically diagnosed chronic gastritis. The study enrolled 48 people of both genders of different ages recruited from 129 patients with a gastritis diagnosis. Before and after the therapy, hematological, biochemical, immunological and redox balance parameters were determined in the blood and the number of lactic acid bacteria and SCFA concentrations in the feces. Our results demonstrated a beneficial effect of oat beta-glucans with high molar mass in chronic gastritis in humans, resulting in reduced mucosal damage and healthy changes in SCFA fecal concentration and peripheral blood serum glutathione metabolism and antioxidant defense parameters. This fraction of a highly purified oat beta-glucan is safe for humans. Its action is effective after 30 days of use, which sheds new light on the nutritional treatment of chronic gastritis.

Effect of probiotic and storage time of thiamine and riboflavin content in the milk drinks fermented by Lactobacillus casei KNE-1.

BACKGROUND: Fermented milk drinks are unique products due to content of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium that are recognized as probiotics. They are a natural component of the colon microbiota as well as commonly used probiotics in functional food. OBJECTIVES: The effects of the storage time and prebiotic type (inuline or oligofructose) were studied in banana-milk drink after fermentation by Lactobacillus casei KNE-1 on the thiamine and riboflavin concentrations. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The material for the study was fermented fruit milk drinks: banana-milk prepared in laboratory conditions and fruit milk drinks purchased in a local shop, as a comparative material. The thiamine was determined by thiochrome method and the riboflavin was determined by fluorometric method. RESULTS: The storage time after the end of the fermentation process did not increase the content of thiamine and riboflavin in fermented banana-milk drink more than the output level. The addition of oligofructose significantly affected the synthesis of thiamine by Lactobacillus casei KNE-1 irrespectively of the storage time. The storage time but not the type of prebiotic affected the riboflavin concentration. Taking into account the highest content of both vitamins, the banana-milk drink fermented by Lactobacillus casei KNE-1 should be consumed immediately or 24 days after fermentation. CONCLUSIONS: This information could be used by manufacturers for the planning of technological process. The content of thiamine and riboflavin in the fermented milk drinks is the result of the type of prebiotic, the individual bacterial strain properties as well as the storage time. These factors should be investigated to optimize the content of B vitamins in fermented milk drinks in the future.

The effect of low or high molecular weight oat beta-glucans on the inflammatory and oxidative stress status in the colon of rats with LPS-induced enteritis.

PURPOSE: The aim of the study was to investigate the protective effect of low and high molecular weight beta-glucans on the chosen immunological parameters, markers of antioxidative potential in rats' colon tissue, the number of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and the concentration of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) in rats' faeces. METHODS: The experiment was carried out on 72 8-week old male Sprague-Dawley rats: control (n = 36) and experimental (n = 36). In half of the animals from each group enteritis was induced by LPS (10 mg kg(-1)). Rats from the experimental group were divided into two groups receiving high (GI) or low (GII) molecular weight beta-glucans for 6 consecutive weeks. RESULTS: LPS evoked enteritis in all the treated animals, manifested by changes in the levels of IL-10, IL-12 and TNF-alpha, as well as in the number of intraepithelial lymphocytes (IELs) and lamina propria lymphocytes (LPLs) in the colon tissue. Dietary supplementation with beta-glucans following LPS treatment partially reversed this effect. The changes in SCFA concentration were noted, indicating an improvement of the fermentation process in the colon. This effect coincided with an increased number of LAB, pointing at the prebiotic properties of beta-glucans. The positive influence of beta-glucans was also manifested by the improved values of antioxidative potential markers (TAS, SOD, GR and GPx activity, TBARS concentration), noted especially in rats with LPS-induced enteritis. This influence was more pronounced in the case of low molecular weight oat beta-glucan (GII). CONCLUSIONS: The present study showed a positive effect of beta-glucans, especially the low molecular weight form, on the colon tissue of healthy rats, as well as animals with LPS-induced enteritis.