Inhibitory effects of water extracts of fermented rice bran on allergic response

Antidiarrheal Effect of Fermented Millet Bran on Diarrhea Induced by Senna Leaf in Mice

Bacillus natto is a kind of probiotic with various functional characteristics, which can produce a lot of nutrients during growth and reproduction. Bacillus natto was used as strain, the number of viable bacteria and the content of soluble dietary fiber in millet bran were used as indexes to study the effects of inoculum size, fermentation time, and fermentation temperature on the fermentation effect, and the optimal fermentation conditions were determined by a response surface experiment. The antidiarrhea effect of fermented millet bran prepared under the best technological conditions was evaluated. The results showed that the optimum fermentation conditions were as follows: inoculum size was 7.48%, fermentation time was 47.04 h, and fermentation temperature was 36.06 °C. Under the optimal fermentation conditions, the viable bacteria count of millet bran was 8.03 log CFU/mL and the soluble dietary fiber content was 12.14%. The fermented millet bran can significantly reduce the intestinal thrust rate and serum levels of IL-6, IL-12, and TNF-α, and significantly increase the secretion of SIgA in the intestinal mucosa, which can relieve diarrhea induced by senna leaf in mice. The results of this study can provide the scientific basis for deep processing of millet bran and efficient utilization of fermented millet bran, and also provide the theoretical basis for clinical treatment of diarrhea.

Effects of the Water Extract of Fermented Rice Bran on Liver Damage and Intestinal Injury in Aged Rats with High-Fat Diet Feeding

The purpose of this study was to investigate the protective effects of the water extract of fermented rice bran (FRB) on liver damage and intestinal injury in old rats fed a high-fat (HF) diet. Rice bran (RB) was fermented with Aspergillus kawachii, and FRB was produced based on a previous study. Male Sprague Dawley rats at 36 weeks of age were allowed free access to a standard rodent diet and water for 8 weeks of acclimation then randomly divided into four groups (six rats/group), including a normal control (NC) group (normal diet), HF group (HF diet; 60% of total calories from fat), HF + 1% FRB group (HF diet + 1% FRB w/w), and HF + 5% FRB group (HF diet + 5% FRB w/w). It was found that the antioxidant ability of FRB was significantly increased when compared to RB. After 8 weeks of feeding, the HF group exhibited liver damage including an increased non-alcoholic fatty liver disease score (hepatic steatosis and inflammation) and higher interleukin (IL)-1β levels, while these were attenuated in the FRB-treated groups. Elevated plasma leptin levels were also found in the HF group, but the level was down-regulated by FRB treatment. An altered gut microbiotic composition was observed in the HF group, while beneficial bacteria including of the Lactobacillaceae and Lachnospiraceae had increased after FRB supplementation. In conclusion, it was found that FRB had higher anti-oxidative ability and showed the potential for preventing liver damage induced by a HF diet, which might be achieved through regulating imbalanced adipokines and maintaining a healthier microbiotic composition.

A Short Review: Bioactivity of Fermented Rice Bran

Rice bran is a by-product of the rice milling process, which refers to the processing of brown rice into polished rice. It contains a considerable amount of functional bioactive compounds. However, the utilization of these compounds is limited and calls for an effort to ferment rice bran. One of the methods that can significantly increase the added value of rice bran as well as its bioactivity is the solid-state fermentation. It can also be one of the strategies that help in the production of rice bran as a functional ingredient with higher bioactivity for health promotion.

Pediococcus Pentosaceus from the Sweet Potato Fermented Ger-Minated Brown Rice Can Inhibit Type I Hypersensitivity in RBL-2H3 Cell and BALB/c Mice Models

In this study, the effect of GBR fermented with the Pediococcus pentosaceus SP024 strain on IgE/Ag mediated passive cutaneous anaphylaxis (PCA) was investigated. Protocatechuic acid and trans-ferulic acid levels in GBR-SP024 increased more than those in unfermented GBR, respec-tively. The inhibitory activity of GBR-SP024 on β-hexosaminidase release and the level of proin-flammatory cytokine mRNA expression (tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin 4 (IL-4)) was observed in IgE/Ag-stimulated RBL-2H3 cells. Western blot analysis showed that GBR-SP024 significantly inhibited the phosphorylation of the linker for activation of T cell (LAT) and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) in IgE/Ag-stimulated RBL-2H3 cells. Further, we investigated the anti-allergic effect of GBR-SP024 using PCA murine model. The number of infiltrated immune cells and degranulated mast cells in GBR-SP024 treated dermis was lower than that in the GBR-treated mice. In addition, mRNA expression of 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX) in the dermis of ear tissue declined in the GBR-SP024–treated group, compared to that in the GBR group. GBR-SP024 was also more effective than GBR at reducing the levels of IL-33 protein expression in IgE/Ag-stimulated BALB/c mice. Our study suggests the potential usage of GBR-SP024 as a dietary supplement or an adjuvant for treating IgE-dependent-allergic diseases.

Phellinus linteus Grown on Germinated Brown Rice Inhibits IgE-Mediated Allergic Activity through the Suppression of FcεRI-Dependent Signaling Pathway In Vitro and In Vivo

Phellinus linteus (PL) has been used as a traditional herbal medicine owing to its immune regulatory activity. Previous studies reported that PL grown on germinated brown rice (PBR) exerted immunomodulatory, anticancer, and anti-inflammatory activities. However, role of PBR on type I hypersensitive reactions has not been studied yet. We found that PBR contained more polyphenolic compounds than PL extract. Among fractions, PBR butanol fraction (PBR-BuOH) significantly contained the most amounts of total polyphenolic contents compared with all extracts or fractions. In this study, anti-allergic activity of PBR-BuOH was examined using in vitro and in vivo models of immunoglobulin E/antigen- (IgE/Ag-) stimulated allergy. The inhibitory activity of degranulation was higher in PBR-BuOH (IC₅₀ 41.31 ± 0.14 μg/mL) than in PL-BuOH (IC₅₀ 108.07 ± 8.98 μg/mL). We observed that PBR-BuOH suppressed calcium influx and the level of TNF-α and IL-4 mRNA expression in a dose-dependent manner. The phosphorylation of Fyn, Gab2, PI3K, Syk, and IκB protein is reduced by PBR-BuOH. Oral administration of PBR-BuOH inhibited allergic reactions including the extravasation of Evans blue dye, ear swelling, and infiltration of immune cells in mice with passive cutaneous anaphylaxis (PCA). These findings suggest that PBR-BuOH might be used as a functional food, a health supplement, or a drug for preventing type I hypersensitive allergic disease.